Sister Abigail Hester

Tag: philosophy

  • Memento Mori: The Holy Art of Remembering Death

    Memento Mori: The Holy Art of Remembering Death

    Memento Mori: The Holy Art of Remembering Death

    “Remember that you will die.”
    That’s what memento mori literally means—an ancient Christian and monastic meditation that’s less about doom and more about awakening.

    Facing Death to Find Life

    From the early desert monks to St. Francis of Assisi himself, memento mori was a spiritual mirror. It reminded the faithful that time is a precious, fragile gift—not a possession. To remember death is to live more fully, love more fiercely, and cling less desperately to the illusions of control and permanence.
    Francis, who called death “Sister,” didn’t fear her—he welcomed her as part of creation’s rhythm. To the Franciscan Clarean heart, death isn’t an enemy. It’s the Great Uncloaking—when all falsehood falls away and truth finally breathes freely.

    From Skulls to Smartphones

    In the Middle Ages, monks kept skulls on their desks. Artists painted grim reapers beside kings and peasants alike. These weren’t horror props; they were invitations to humility.
    Today, memento mori might mean something simpler: turning your phone off long enough to watch the sun set, writing a letter you’ve been putting off, or forgiving someone before it’s too late. Every breath could be your last—so make it beautiful.

    Prophetic Living in a Dying World

    Modern society hides death behind hospital curtains, plastic surgery, and endless productivity. But the world feels increasingly fragile—climate collapse, war, political violence, and loneliness are our new memento mori.
    To live prophetically now means daring to see what others deny: that we are dust, yes—but sacred dust. Knowing our mortality frees us to live counterculturally—to love without condition, give without hoarding, and build communities that outlast empires.

    A Franciscan Clarean Reflection

    For the Franciscan Clarean, memento mori is not morbid—it’s merciful. It calls us to simplicity, repentance, and joy. We learn to bless the transient, to bow to the inevitable, and to find Christ in every ending and beginning.
    When we remember that life ends, we finally begin to live like it matters.

    “Praised be You, my Lord, through our Sister Bodily Death.”
    — St. Francis of Assisi, The Canticle of the Creatures

  • When the Buddha Met St. Francis: A Franciscan–Buddhist Synthesis for Our Time

    🌿 When the Buddha Met St. Francis: A Franciscan–Buddhist Synthesis for Our Time

    By Sister Abigail Hester, OFC

    Let’s face it: the world’s gone a little mad. Everyone’s shouting, scrolling, consuming, and forgetting how to breathe. In the middle of the chaos, two ancient voices — one from Assisi, one from beneath a Bodhi tree — whisper the same radical truth: “Let go, love deeply, and wake up.”

    It turns out St. Francis and the Buddha might have been kindred spirits. Both walked away from privilege. Both sought a freedom that didn’t depend on wealth, comfort, or ego. Both found joy in simplicity and compassion in suffering. And both left behind paths of peace that refuse to die, even in our noisy century.

    This is where the Franciscan–Buddhist synthesis begins — not as a trendy hybrid religion, but as a contemplative stance: an invitation to live lightly, love wholly, and see clearly.

    🕊 1. Christ the Compassionate, Buddha the Awakened

    Francis gazed at Christ on the cross until his own heart bled with compassion. The Buddha gazed into the nature of suffering until his mind awakened to reality. One reveals the heart of God; the other the mind of enlightenment. Together they form a single mandala of love — Christ the Compassionate, Buddha the Awakened.

    For the Franciscan-Buddhist soul, compassion isn’t an accessory; it’s the whole outfit. Everything else — possessions, titles, even opinions — is just noise.

    🌸 2. Poverty and Non-Attachment

    Francis stripped naked in the public square, renouncing wealth. The Buddha left his palace behind. Both discovered that freedom begins when ownership ends.
    Franciscan poverty says, “I need nothing because God is enough.”
    Buddhist non-attachment says, “I cling to nothing because everything passes.”
    Different language, same liberation.

    In a consumer culture obsessed with “more,” the Franciscan-Buddhist quietly smiles and whispers, “Less is more. Love is enough.”

    🪶 3. Creation as Sacred and Interbeing

    When Francis called the sun his brother and the moon his sister, he was singing the theology of interbeing centuries before the term existed.
    Buddhism teaches that to harm another is to harm yourself, because everything is interconnected.
    The Franciscan-Buddhist way says: Every leaf is holy. Every bird sings theology. Every act of kindness sustains the cosmos.

    🌾 4. Contemplation and Mindfulness

    St. Clare taught her sisters to “gaze, consider, contemplate, and imitate.” The Buddha taught his disciples to “breathe, observe, and awaken.”

    These are not rival instructions; they are mirrors of one another.

    To sit in silence and breathe is to gaze upon Christ present in the breath itself. To pray the Our Father mindfully is to chant compassion into being. Contemplation and mindfulness are two wings of the same dove — one grounded in grace, the other in awareness.

    🔥 5. Suffering and Transformation

    The Buddha began with the First Noble Truth: “Life involves suffering.”
    Jesus began with a cross: “Take it up and follow me.”
    Neither offered a shortcut. Both promised transformation.

    The Franciscan-Buddhist doesn’t flee suffering — she befriends it, allowing compassion to be born from the wound. The Cross becomes both the Bodhi Tree and the Throne of Mercy.

    🌏 6. Mission and Compassionate Action

    Franciscanism and Buddhism both reject escapism. Enlightenment is useless if it doesn’t heal the world. The Franciscan-Buddhist walks into the marketplace of chaos with a peaceful heart — a living sermon that says:

    “May all beings be happy. May all creation bless the Lord.”

    Service becomes meditation. Activism becomes prayer. The revolution is gentle.

    💫 7. Holding It All Together

    Can you be Christian and Buddhist? Yes — if you walk with integrity.
    Christ remains the compass — the revelation of Divine Love.
    Buddhist practice is the lamp — illuminating the path of awareness.

    Hold them both lightly. Let them correct and complete each other.
    Let them teach you how to breathe, how to love, and how to laugh at the absurdity of your own ego.

    ✨ The Franciscan–Buddhist Path in a Nutshell

    Live simply.

    Love generously.

    Breathe deeply.

    See clearly.

    Serve joyfully.

    Let go gracefully.

    Final word:
    In a world addicted to noise, the Franciscan–Buddhist walks softly, carrying an inner stillness that hums like birdsong and incense. Christ shines through awareness. Awareness awakens love.

    And somewhere between the crucifix and the lotus blossom, the soul finally whispers —

    “It is enough. All is one. All is love.”