In 1219, St Francis met Sultan Malik al-Kamil in Egypt during the Fifth Crusade.  Though coming from different faith traditions, the two men connected at a very deep level through fraternal dialogue.  St Francis the gift of the Sultan’s ivory horn which today can is exhibited in the Basilica of St Francis, Assisi.  Francis accepted it simply because it is connected to prayer. Apparently, the Sultan used this same horn to call his soldiers to worship God in prayer.

We can also see that mutual respect stems from those who wish peace upon the other. When we communicate with love, we go beyond seeing them as an “other” and instead create a productive dialogue that bridge differences!

Musing: St Francis transcended the boundary of conventional prejudices to build brotherly bonds through dialogue.  Do I hold any prejudice that prevents me from connecting with others?