As part of the Laudato Si Week, the introduction of the Prayer Network for the Care of Creation and the World Day of Action for our Common Home led to the conversation “Laudato Si ‘: Franciscan contemplative life”
The Office of Justice, Peace, and Integrity of the Creation of the Order of Friars Minor of Colombia hosted a brotherly discourse. The aforementioned occasion was moderated by Fray Santiago González OFM, who was joined by three contemplative monasteries.
Each community was given the chance to present their narrative, lifestyle, and how Laudato Si is used in their everyday lives. They also give insight on the current socioeconomic and environmental catastrophe. They discussed their survival methods as well as how they cope with the epidemic.
Contemplation is a highly active way of life that is now dedicated to caring for the common good. In the first half of the conversation, the Poor Clare Sisters of the Monastery of San Damiáno in Planes de Renderos, El Salvador, illustrated this.
Natural medicine is one of the things that the sisters have incorporated in their “continuous discernment” process, and they want it to be something that everyone can access. They joined the network of Prayer for the Care of Creation, “a project of life and connection that would bring about change,” because they were overjoyed.
The Franciscan Conceptionist Sisters of the Monastery of the Immaculate Conception of Floridablanca in Santander, Colombia, used the opportunity to speak about their history and way of life. They find it “very rewarding and supportive” to be a part of the network.
The Capuchin Poor Clares of the Jess de Nazaret Monastery in Mérida, Yucatán, Mexico, live their spirituality near to Mother Earth, employ renewable energy, and aim to “break the pattern that the world presents,” according to them.
At the same time, they often call the laity of the community to a contemplative lifestyle, but not at the price of action, since “if we who have faith do nothing, who else will?”