Integrating English and Franciscan Values

By Elizabeth Fritsch, senior English Major at Silver Lake College

As we celebrate the Feast of St. Francis of Assisi, we are reminded of the virtues he modeled and also inspired in his followers.  How do we cultivate those virtues in ourselves, particularly in relation to the discipline of English?

Community:

As avid readers we understand that the idea of community stretches far beyond our student lounges, staff break rooms, and city limits.  Through the power of nonfiction reading, we can enter into a larger, more global community.  We become sensitive to others’ lives and struggles.  We note our differences, but more importantly, we celebrate our shared spiritual creation and existence through God.  When we read, we take on the emotional burden of another person's life and allow their life to touch our life, so that we may become more intertwined in the search for mental, emotional, and spiritual fulfillment.

Peacemaking:

We are constantly overwhelmed with words and ideas.  Everything – books, television, magazines, music, web pages, newspapers, billboards – is fighting for our attention.  We are (sometimes subconsciously) embedded with ideas, views, and feelings that are not our own – that are contrary to the existence of the empowered and dignified individual.   It goes without saying that many of the messages we receive are damaging and often place us at war with others, God, and even ourselves.  Keeping in mind the weight of words, it is our task to speak and write peacefully.  Are we using language that respects the dignity of the individual?  Are we using language to empower, rather than demean?  Are we allowing our spoken and written thoughts to exist in dialogue with others?  The brain that holds our thoughts, the grasped pen that holds our words, and the tongue that holds our speech are the most powerful and the most dangerous tools we have.  They are also our best tools to cultivate peace.

Compassion:

Those who study English know that one cannot only settle for being a skilled reader, writer, and speaker.  One must also become skilled in the art of listening.  Compassion, more often that not, is silent yet comforting.  Practicing compassion through listening serves as an act of humility.  In a world where we are overly zealous to share our own thoughts, ideas, and opinions (whether through talking, texting, email, social media, and writing), we must restrain our rampant sense of ego.  We must listen wholeheartedly, without mentally planning our next comment or placing judgment on the individual.  When we have truly and effectively listened, we will be able to speak with compassion, wisdom, and love.

Reverence for Creation:

After we have read, spoken, written, and listened, we must ACT!  Words and ideas are meaningless until they inspire us to change ourselves and the world around us.  Our action must flow from a reverence towards creation – all things in the natural world (the waters, the forests, the earth, the animals, and humans) have a purpose and have worth.  We must be harmonious individuals, recognizing that it is our responsibility to ensure that everything in the natural world is respected.  We were not created to lord over creation and our fellow humans, but rather to live in a state of communion.

 

 Elizabeth Fritsch is a senior at Silver Lake College.
She is majoring in English (with an emphasis on teaching)
and minoring in History and Theology.