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RE-humanize this Lent

Reflection Questions and Responses

See below the reflection responses and feedback from some of our members who attended RE-humanize the Lent. We offer these as a way to open dialogue and thus build relationships, something desperately needed in these troubling times.

Each week’s questions will be posted below the appropriate heading. (Jump to each specific week using the bookmarks in the beige strip below.)

To submit a response, click here.

Week 1      Week 2     Week 3     Week 4     Week 5     Week 6     Week 7

Week One

What are my initial thoughts about the connection between speech that demonizes others and potential violence as well as polarization? Did anything I heard in the presentations surprise me or make me see the issue in a new light? Might I be called to re-examine my own speech during this sacred season?

Creation 3-2-1

Creation 3-2-1

Apr 29, 2020

FAN Member Carolyn D. Townes, OFS is the National Animator of Justice Peace and Integrity of Creation for the U.S. Secular Franciscan Order and has...

We need your help

We need your help

Apr 17, 2020

Covid-19 has devastated normalcy and we pray for all the families tragically struck by this disease. Most at risk are those in whom we, as...

Week Two

In the Gospel according to Luke (4:1-13), Jesus is tempted by the devil to abuse his power as the Son of God in several ways. As a child of God, can I think of times when I have underestimated or undervalued the power of my speech, thereby causing harm, even if unintentionally? And times when I’ve underestimated the power of my speech to do good?

Creation 3-2-1

Creation 3-2-1

Apr 29, 2020

FAN Member Carolyn D. Townes, OFS is the National Animator of Justice Peace and Integrity of Creation for the U.S. Secular Franciscan Order and has...

We need your help

We need your help

Apr 17, 2020

Covid-19 has devastated normalcy and we pray for all the families tragically struck by this disease. Most at risk are those in whom we, as...

Week Three

Cardinal Sean O’Malley has quoted Pope Paul VI in saying that dehumanizing discourse, including racism, not only wounds its target but that the speaker is also “mutilated by their selfishness.” In what way might my selfishness–the perceived self-interest that causes me to distance myself from others with whom I am at odds–mutilate me? Has my image of anyone been “mutilated” after I heard that person use dehumanizing or demonizing language about another?

(Sources: See this recent talk by Cardinal O’Malley, as well as this 2007 post.)

Suggested action: Take a walk outside to find signs of the changing season, such as green shoots or blooms on plants springing out of older, dried out growth. Take a photo and use it to remind yourself that you can change–and others can as well.

Creation 3-2-1

Creation 3-2-1

Apr 29, 2020

FAN Member Carolyn D. Townes, OFS is the National Animator of Justice Peace and Integrity of Creation for the U.S. Secular Franciscan Order and has...

We need your help

We need your help

Apr 17, 2020

Covid-19 has devastated normalcy and we pray for all the families tragically struck by this disease. Most at risk are those in whom we, as...

Week Four

When was the last time you gave yourself the opportunity to have a serious conversation with someone with whom you didn’t agree, thereby allowing yourself to learn and grow? If you have avoided such conversations–or had them and regretted how they went–how could you approach the next one with a re-humanizing lens so as to be more open to growth?

Creation 3-2-1

Creation 3-2-1

Apr 29, 2020

FAN Member Carolyn D. Townes, OFS is the National Animator of Justice Peace and Integrity of Creation for the U.S. Secular Franciscan Order and has...

We need your help

We need your help

Apr 17, 2020

Covid-19 has devastated normalcy and we pray for all the families tragically struck by this disease. Most at risk are those in whom we, as...

Week Five

While we often think of political violence as involving many people (rioting, insurgency, etc.) or targeting elected officials, it can also involve acts or threats against ordinary citizens. A recent poll of nearly 600 local electoral officials showed that 77% believed that threats to their safety had increased in recent years and 17% had personally experienced threats, which often started with being demonized as “traitors.”

Ask yourself: How can I become more alert to potential violence or threats of violence taking place in my state or community?

Creation 3-2-1

Creation 3-2-1

Apr 29, 2020

FAN Member Carolyn D. Townes, OFS is the National Animator of Justice Peace and Integrity of Creation for the U.S. Secular Franciscan Order and has...

We need your help

We need your help

Apr 17, 2020

Covid-19 has devastated normalcy and we pray for all the families tragically struck by this disease. Most at risk are those in whom we, as...

Week Six

When have I spoken up for someone else who was dehumanized or demonized for their views?  Was it someone with whose views I agreed or disagreed?  What words did I use to object to their dehumanization and how did that go?

Creation 3-2-1

Creation 3-2-1

Apr 29, 2020

FAN Member Carolyn D. Townes, OFS is the National Animator of Justice Peace and Integrity of Creation for the U.S. Secular Franciscan Order and has...

We need your help

We need your help

Apr 17, 2020

Covid-19 has devastated normalcy and we pray for all the families tragically struck by this disease. Most at risk are those in whom we, as...

Week Seven

How has this Lenten process of considering the links among dehumanization, polarization, and political violence changed my way of thinking and/or behaving? What new tools have I acquired to cope with these issues? What’s the best tip I have learned to help me be a RE-humanizer? What new questions do I have?

Creation 3-2-1

Creation 3-2-1

Apr 29, 2020

FAN Member Carolyn D. Townes, OFS is the National Animator of Justice Peace and Integrity of Creation for the U.S. Secular Franciscan Order and has...

We need your help

We need your help

Apr 17, 2020

Covid-19 has devastated normalcy and we pray for all the families tragically struck by this disease. Most at risk are those in whom we, as...