"Pax et Bonum — Peace and Goodness": this traditional Franciscan greeting
has been passed down through the centuries. It comes down to us from the Poor Man of
Assisi, St. Francis, and is in a certain way the trademark of our Franciscan way of life.
Meeting Jesus totally changed Francis’ life, and it also changed the way he would
relate with other people. Now his life was characterized by love, warmth and zeal with
proclaiming God’s Kingdom. Later on in his life Francis said that God himself
revealed to him this greeting: May the Lord grant you peace! That is why when he was
preaching, he would always start and end by greeting the people with his proclamation of
peace.
This Franciscan motto hasn’t lost its actuality even for today. As spiritual sons of
St. Francis, we want to repeat and incorporate his peace into our lives, that we might be
heralds of God’s love for the world. We believe that violence and aggression are not
the solutions for the many conflicts around our world, but rather only forgiveness, peace
and goodness can bring real freedom and happiness to our human family.
