Last week, we reflected on the beginning of Francis’s conversion. Although he was never morally bankrupt, holiness was not a priority in his early life. After his captivity and subsequent serious illness, Francis began to turn his thoughts toward spiritual matters. Once he had recovered, he attempted to join the papal forces under Count Gentile against Emperor Frederick II in Apulia in late 1205. 

While on his way to battle, Francis experienced a vision, or perhaps a dream, instructing him to return to Assisi and await a call to a new kind of knighthood. 

Francis had long dreamed of achieving glory by becoming a great warrior, a knight who would defeat enemies and return in triumph. The vision he received on the road to Apulia must therefore have come as a profound shock. It marked the beginning of a complete transformation in his life.  

Yet embracing this new path required trust: trust that the vision truly came from the Lord, and trust that further guidance would be given in time. Francis was still far from the man he would become, but he had begun the journey. 

This week, let us reflect on how God may be calling us in unexpected ways. May we trust His guidance, even when the path ahead is unclear, and take the next faithful step He places before us.