My Franciscan Journey: Re-Beginning
A few years ago I connected with the Order of Lutheran Franciscans and became a Postulant, which means that I began taking steps towards becoming part of their religious order. When people learned about what I was leaning into they had questions: Lutherans have religious orders? (Yes. Yes, we do.) What's a Lutheran? (Lutheranism is like Catholicism, but plain.) But you're married (Yes.) Why are you doing this? .... Why. That was a question I couldn't really answer. It drove deep into my heart and I knew that it deserved more than a stale response. Moreso, it made me wonder about why do I do anything that I do? Where do most of my choices and decisions come from? Are they born from general interest? Convenience? Are my choices ego-based or desire based? Or do I respond out of fear? (Fear of being irrelevant or forgotten.) Why belong to anything at all? I wound up withdrawing my postulancy and withdrawing my church membership. Until I co