Welcome to "A Franciscan Advent: Beginning Again." Start your day with this reflection on the readings for the Second Sunday of Advent. 

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Stay Awake and Begin Again 

Advent isn’t passive waiting:  

it’s active transformation.

Advent boldly invites you to let peace reach the most difficult places in your life. 

Where do you need the peace of Christ most? 

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“The wolf shall be a guest of the lamb… 

With a little child to guide them… 

The lion shall eat hay like the ox… 

The baby shall play by the cobra's den” 

(Isaiah 11:1-10) 

What are the wolves, lions, and lambs in your life that need reconciling peace? 

What is the cobra’s den causing you anxiety? 

Where do you long for childlike wonder? 

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“Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!” 

(Matthew 3:1-12) 

We all want peace… 

…but peace begins with 

God reordering our life and priorities. 

What changes would open more space for Christ’s peace in your life? 

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In Franciscan life, peace and conversion always grow together. 

To receive and share Christ’s peace, 

we must surrender the habits, attachments, and

judgments that keep us from responding generously to God’s call. 

Conversion frees us for a new way of being. 

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“As you announce peace with your mouth, 

make sure that greater peace is in your hearts… 

May everyone be drawn to peace, kindness, and harmony through your gentleness.” 

(St. Francis in the Legend of the Three Companions) 

Peacemaking is not avoiding conflict but the courage to be changed by love. 

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This is rigorous work. 

Letting go hurts. Humility is costly. 

Conversion asks us to stretch  

beyond our comforts, 

again and again. 

But this is the freedom Christ desires for us: 

new possibilities, healed relationships, surprising joy, peace that  

transforms the world. 

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“In tireless pursuit of holy newness, Francis constantly hoped to begin again…” 

Peacemaking is a daily choice. 

And ongoing conversion is a  

lifetime of beginnings.

Where will you begin again today? 

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How to Embrace Ongoing Conversion this Week 

One Bold Act of Conversion: What is one change in your life that you can embrace this week for peace to break through? 

Drop One Burden: What is one obstacle to encountering the Prince of Peace daily? 

Disrupt Your Priorities: How can we respond generously when God, disguised as an inconvenience, interrupts your day? 

Fast From Criticism: How can you bring peace and kindness to a relationship marked by the resentment and judgment? 

Offer the Gift of Peace: Who is someone overlooked or often isolated that you can visit and accompany this week?