How exciting it can be to begin a new adventure. A new school, a new career, a new marriage, a new baby. All these things can be life changing and wonderful. But they can also be scary. When we start something new, we are unsure whether it will succeed, whether we will be good at it, or whether we are equipped to see it through. 

St. Francis, in his humanity, must have had some fear when he began to gather the friars and form the Order. However, he believed that the Order was willed by God, and so he trusted that whatever happened would be exactly what God wanted. From his own conversion, we have seen the growth to eight men, whom he sent out on mission, and then to twelve. With confidence, he approached Pope Innocent and received approval for the Rule he had written. 

The life of the Franciscans, known as the “lesser brothers” (a name we will discuss in a couple of weeks), was different from any religious community that had come before. They were mendicants, meaning they wandered about, preaching and teaching, and living off the goodwill of others. They did not live in monasteries, spending their lives in prayer for the Church (a wonderful vocation, and one necessary for the Church’s survival, just not what this new community was called to). They were active evangelists, and this brought about not only the conversion of many people, but an explosive growth of those who wished to join their ranks. 

In the first ten years of the Order’s founding, the number of brothers grew from twelve to over 5,000. Francis’ trust in God had begun a movement that would grow rapidly and spread throughout Europe. The new “adventure” truly worked, and the trust that Francis had in God allowed that growth to flourish. 

This week, when you face a new beginning or an uncertain path, remember Francis’ trust in God’s will. Let that same trust guide you through your own growing pains.