Imagine the logistics and the dangers St. Francis and his companion navigated to bring his message of peace—especially to a man from another culture. Today, allegiance is defined by your political party. People won’t cross an aisle for solidarity let alone an ocean for peace-building.
What is needed for deliverance is conversion, and that theory resonates with Pope Francis. “Avoiding evil and learning to do good: this is the rule of conversion,” he said in 2017. “[Conversion] is a journey. It’s a journey of avoiding and of learning.” Conversion isn’t easy. For it to take root there should be an internal struggle, a shift in our foundation. St. Francis understood that. Our pope continues to push the agenda of peace and understanding. But it is up to us to make it happen.
What’s stopping us?
—from St. Anthony Messenger‘s “I’d Like to Say: We Need to Stop ‘Othering’“
by Christopher Heffron
