Near the end of his life, St. Francis was said to have told the friars, “Let us begin again, brothers, for up until now, we have done little or nothing.” That seems a rather fitting quote as we head into this new year. Come January 1, many of us will jump into the wide-open canvas that is the year 2020. We will vow to start exercising, eat better, pray more, get organized, or embark upon a myriad of other tasks.
We here at St. Anthony Messenger and Franciscan Media are also taking this opportunity—and the words of St. Francis—to heart. Considering the magazine’s 127-year history, I would hardly say that up until now we’ve “done little or nothing.”
But that also doesn’t mean we should stop looking for ways to get better every year—every month, in fact. As the world and Church change, so must we. And we will.
That is why in the upcoming year, we will be challenging ourselves to grow, change, and embark on new ways to share God’s love in the spirit of St. Francis in these pages. That change might come in the shape of new columns, the articles and subjects we print, or new voices in our pages. At the heart of all these things, however, will continue to be you—our readers.
On a wider scale, we will also be expanding our digital offerings at FranciscanMedia.org later in the year to include a new daily prayer resource. Pause+Pray will join our stable of offerings—Saint of the Day, Minute Meditations, and others—to help you grow your faith.
As we welcome the new year, let us all take this opportunity to “begin again.”
