Dragonfly Ministries

21/03/2026

Change is powerful… the cost of becoming…..

Change is powerful ⚡️
The cost of becoming....

St. Francis didn’t just improve his life, he completely changed it. From comfort to simplicity. From control to surrender. And it wasn’t easy... Change never is!

It stretches us. It exposes what we cling to. It asks us to trust before we feel ready. But St Francis shows us something powerful: the deeper the change, the greater the freedom on the other side. What feels like loss at first often becomes lightness. What feels like uncertainty becomes peace.

🍁 Start small. Big change begins with one small step.

🍁 Stay consistent. Growth is quiet, but it adds up.

Keep your focus on what matters most - your soul, not your image. Change will challenge you. But it will also shape you into someone more authentic. And that’s always worth it.

18/03/2026

On this day in 1212 St Francis received the profession of St Clare. Her hair was cut and she took the habit. It was a threshold moment.
Francis’s journey had this young woman knowing very clearly that she wanted to live her faith in a similar way.
Who has been pivotal in forming your faith journey?
What moments have been threshold moment in your journey?

15/03/2026

Beautiful Bagnoregio. Home of St Bonaventure. The 'dying city' that is coming back to life.... even if it is constantly under threat because of makeup of it's formation rock.
The only way to get there is to walk along the pedestrian bridge... Feeling the freshness of the winter winds blowing. Can't help but feel truly alive.
A joy to wander and explore an ancient place.... getting the feel for a little village where life was simple (but not necessarily easy), everyone knew each other, and there were constant opportunities to gaze upon a marvellous world surrounding on every side.

On a day when I farewelled someone I love, Bagnoregio invited me to joy, peace and awe.

Who are the people who make up your village - geographic or otherwise?

07/02/2026

‘In the silence of the heart, God speaks’

⏳️ St. Francis and the Gift of Solitude
✨️ “In the silence of the heart, God speaks”

St. Francis of Assisi is often remembered for his joy, his love of nature, and his radical simplicity. Yet behind his public witness was a deep and deliberate practice of solitude. For Francis, time alone was not an escape from the world, it was the place where his heart was shaped, clarified, and strengthened.

St. Francis regularly withdrew to caves, forests, and small hermitages. In silence, he prayed, fasted, and listened. These moments stripped away noise, ambition, and ego, allowing him to encounter God more honestly. Solitude taught him humility, he came face to face with his weaknesses. He learned to see himself and others with mercy. After time alone, he returned with greater gentleness, courage, and clarity of purpose..

St Francis’ life reminds us that spiritual growth rarely happens in constant activity. Solitude helps us:

🔹️Listen deeply to God, to our conscience, to what truly matters.

🔹️Detach from status, approval, and unnecessary distractions.

🔹️Re-center our lives around love rather than productivity or success.

You don’t need a cave in the mountains to practice Franciscan solitude. Here are simple ways to integrate it into modern life:

🔸️Schedule silence. Set aside 10–20 minutes a day without your phone, music, or input.

🔸️Choose a simple space. A quiet room, a park bench, or an early morning walk can become your “hermitage.”

🔸️Let go of performance. Solitude is not about achieving insight. It’s about being honest and present.

🔸️Practice gratitude. Notice small blessings: sunlight, breath, silence. Francis found God in simplicity.

St. Francis teaches us that when we dare to be still, we discover who we are and how deeply we are loved. From that place, we can re-enter the world not depleted, but renewed.

“Be still, and know that I am God.”
- Psalm 46:10

02/02/2026

🤎🤎

Choosing the Franciscan Way of Life in an UnFranciscan World 🕊

St. Francis offers a spirituality that is surprisingly relevant in a world marked by consumerism, division, and ecological crisis. To be Franciscan today is to resist a loud, fast, greedy world with gentleness, simplicity, and love. It is a spirituality not of escape, but of deep engagement.

Here are some practical ways to live the Franciscan charism today:

1. Live simply in a culture of excess:

🔹 ️Practice mindful consumption: buy less, repair more, avoid impulse shopping
🔹 ️Declutter regularly and donate what you don’t need
🔹 ️Choose ethical and sustainable brands when possible
🔹 ️Fast occasionally from non-essentials (social media, streaming, online shopping)

Modern research shows that simplicity and reduced consumption are linked to lower stress and greater life satisfaction.

2. Care for creation

🔸 ️Reduce food waste and meat consumption
🔸 ️Support local farmers or grow something, even herbs on a windowsill
🔸 ️Walk, bike, or carpool when possible
🔸 ️Treat nature as sacred, pray outdoors, bless animals, teach children reverence for life

3. Choose peace in a divided world

🔹 ️Refuse to engage in online outrage, shaming, or dehumanizing language
🔹 ️Listen before responding, especially to people you disagree with
🔹 ️Pray daily for those you find difficult
🔹 ️Practice forgiveness as a discipline, not a feeling

Psychological studies confirm that peacemaking behaviors reduce anxiety and improve community trust.

4. Stand with the poor and marginalized

🔸️ Support local shelters, food banks, or refugee programs
🔸 ️Build relationships, learn names, stories, struggles
🔸️ Advocate for just policies at the local level
🔸 ️Examine your lifestyle through the lens of solidarity, not comfort

5. Pray with joy and humility

🔹️ Begin the day with gratitude
🔹 ️Pray short prayers throughout the day (“My God and my All”)
🔹️ Let joy be your witness, Francis believed joy was a sign of holiness
🔹️ Accept imperfection in yourself and others with humility

6. From Gospel to Life ...

🔸 ️Practice kindness where it’s least expected
🔸 ️Let your life raise questions before your mouth gives answers
🔸 ️Serve quietly without needing recognition
🔸 ️Live so that faith is visible in actions, not arguments

More than a set of ideals, Franciscan way of life is a daily practice, embodied in small, faithful choices that reflect humility, compassion, and hope. In a noisy and fractured world, the Franciscan way remains a quiet but powerful witness that love, gentleness, and joyful faith can still transform lives.

30/01/2026

🤎

An Examination of Conscience in the Spirit of St. Francis of Assisi

( 1 ) For all the ways I have brought division in my family, my community, and my parish, Response: Lord, have mercy

( 2 ) For all the ways I have not been life-giving to my family and friends, Response: Lord, have mercy

( 3 ) For all the ways I have not appreciated the unique charisms and gifts of each individual person in my life, Response: Lord, have mercy

( 4 ) For all the ways I’ve failed to strive for holiness, Response: Lord, have mercy

( 5 ) For the times I did not strive for perfect charity, Response: Lord, have mercy

( 6 ) For the ways I’ve not lived my life in the manner of St. Francis, going from Gospel to life and life to the Gospel, Response: Lord, have mercy

( 7 ) For the times that I have witnessed hatred and I didn’t sow love, Response: Lord, have mercy

( 8 ) For the times when someone was injured by words or actions and I didn’t bring pardon, Response: Lord, have mercy

( 9 ) For the times when people were in doubt and I didn’t share my faith, Response: Lord, have mercy

( 10 ) For the people who were in despair and I didn’t give hope, Response: Lord, have mercy

( 11 ) For the times when I or others were in darkness and I didn’t see or give light, Response: Lord, have mercy

( 12 ) For the times when others were sad and I didn’t give joy, Response: Lord, have mercy

( 13 ) For the times I didn’t console others, Response: Lord, have mercy

( 14 ) For the times I wasn’t understanding toward others, Response: Lord, have mercy

( 15 ) For the times that I didn’t love others or myself, Response: Lord, have mercy

( 16 ) For the times when I didn’t freely give of my time, talent or treasure to others, Response: Lord, have mercy

( 17 ) For the times that Christ has not been the center and inspiration of my life, Response: Lord, have mercy

( 18 ) For the times I have not looked for Christ in the Scriptures, at Mass, in the Sacrament of Reconciliation, in other Sacraments and in others, Response: Lord, have mercy

( 19 ) For the times I have not proclaimed Christ by my life and my words, Response: Lord, have mercy

( 20 ) For the times I have worked or acted against the unity of the Church and have not lived in full communion with the Pope and bishops, Response: Lord, have mercy

( 21 ) For the times I didn’t listen to the interior call to conversion, Response: Lord, have mercy

( 22 ) For the times I lacked a spirit of generosity, justice, and moderation in the use of God’s gifts, Response: Lord, have mercy

( 23 ) For the times I have not chosen to live in the spirit of the Beatitudes, Response: Lord, have mercy

( 24 ) For the times I have not recognized Christ’s image in all people equally, regardless of their position or station in life, Response: Lord, have mercy

( 25 ) For the times I have not gently and courteously welcomed every person as a gift from the Lord and as an image of Christ, Response: Lord, have mercy

( 26 ) For the ways I failed to show justice both privately and in the public forums of business and politics, Response: Lord, have mercy

( 27 ) For the times I have not cultivated a spirit of peace, fidelity, and respect for life in my family, parish, and society, Response: Lord, have mercy

( 28 ) For the times I have not encouraged the proper use and protection of natural resources in a spirit of universal kinship, Response: Lord, have mercy

( 29 ) For the times I have not shown respect for all God’s creatures the way St. Francis did, Response: Lord, have mercy

( 30 ) For the times I have not esteemed work both as a gift and as a sharing in the creation, redemption and sanctification of the human community, Response: Lord, have mercy

Compiled by Deacon Dave & Thérèse Ream, O.F.S.,
Revised July 2017

11/01/2026

❤️
‘Faith, hope and love. These three are eternal. The greatest of these is love.’

04/01/2026

"Why is Aunty hugging the tree?" Galari asks, as Yiray leans into the trunk of the red river gum.
"Yes, why is Aunty hugging a tree?" Ngarrang repeats....."Aunty is giving love back to the tree," she finally says, kissing each of them on the top of the head.
"Because she took some bark to put on the fire, so the tree gave her a gift. And she is giving a gift back. The gift of a hug. One day, if you're ever sad, or need some love, you can hug the tree and get some of Aunty's love back."
both boys are wide-eyed.
"Is that true?"
"Nhawa! I have hugged lots of trees, and so has your babiin. So, now you know there is love all around you when you need it."
"Wiray!" Galari does not believe his mother.
"Ngawa!" she laughs. "We take something, then we give something back, and we call it the circle of life."

By Author Anita Heiss, from her book Bila Yarrudhanggalangdhuray
(River of Dreams).... a powerful read

03/01/2026

❤️🧡💛💚🩵💙💜

28/12/2025

The 4th day of Christmas - this year it falls on the Feast of the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph.
A wonderful reminder to live in loving relationship with each other.
Blessed to be a blessing.

24/12/2025

Today is the first day of the twelve days of Christmas.
A friend gifted me an advent calendar for my birthday with 12 beautiful little candles in it, so I’ve transformed my advent candles space into a Christmas candle space and will light 1 each day through the Christmas season…. A reminder to keep Christmas close every day, it just on Christmas Day…. And hopefully then, the immensity of God’s gift to us will transform the word into a place thst is truly filled with love, joy, peace and hope.
Happy First day of Christmas everyone!!!

23/12/2025