More wonderful reading for the Feast of St Francis...

From The Canticle of Chiara:

It was certainly rash, and even foolish, for a man like Francis to suddenly
forsake the plans that had been in store for him since his youth… he was raised
to eventually become a merchant, like his father. When he finally decided to
give his life to God, his future was very unclear. Where would he live? Where
would Francis get his clothing and food from? What would he "do" for a living?
These are questions that plague many young people. In a time when there is so
much pressure put on teens and young adults to define rather nebulous futures,
many young people- myself included- spend a large amount of time worrying. In
high school, we worry whether we’ll be able to get into a choice college, be
able to pay for college, and also worry about our choice of college. After those
problems are resolved and we have made it into college, we worry about new
issues. What subject will we major in? Will we be able to pass a particular
class? Will we be able to find gainful summer employment? As graduation draws
near, a whole new set of questions arise. Will we find jobs? Will we get into
grad school? The biggest question of all, "What do we want to do with our
lives?"

About a month ago, I had a conversation with a young women from one of my
church groups. She noted how important it is to place such worries and questions
God’s hands, trusting that He will lead us in the right direction. She said
something like, "a year from now, you'll be looking back and wondering why you
were so worried about your future when God eventually worked everything out for
you."

Francis is the embodiment of this simple trust in God’s love and
providence. At first glance, it seems foolish to place one’s livelihood in God’s
hands… but Francis understood that when we spend less time worrying about
ourselves and trust in God’s providence, we're able to spend more time loving
and living for God and our neighbors. I pray that eventually - through St.
Francis’ intercession - I will be able to embrace such a faith-filled mentality!