Anyone who has ever watched a baby learn to walk knows that once they take that first step, everything changes. Suddenly, that first step joins another and then another. Before you know it, they’re walking and then running. There are a lot of things like that in life. Things where you just have to take that first step to facilitate a change. St. Francis did that when he laid the first stone to rebuild San Damiano, which God told the saint was falling into ruin. While, at first, Francis took the message literally and started rebuilding the structure, he eventually realized that it was people God was talking about.
We are trying to do the same thing here at Franciscan Media. We are a virtual company, so there is nothing to physically rebuild. But we work hard to carry out the message of San Damiano and offer stones upon which you can build—or possibly rebuild—your faith life. For some, that may mean starting from the ground up to restore a broken or run-down faith. For others it may be more of a shoring up process.
Each month, this magazine helps with that process through columns and articles that demonstrate how people and organizations are helping to rebuild God’s Church. This month’s cover story (“A New Perspective on Christian Parenting,” by Carie Moore) tells of one mom’s experience with a new kind of Christian parenting that advocates for the dignity and rights of children and against domineering parental control.
But you don’t have to wait until your issue of the magazine arrives to dive deeper into your faith. There are an abundance of resources, including daily news, Saint of the Day, and additional Ask a Franciscan questions and answers on our website at FranciscanMedia.org. Together, let’s rebuild.
