The Starting Point: His Encounter with Christ At the origin of the new presence to the world, inaugurated

by the Poor Man of Assisi, there lies a spiritual experience that begins with the conversion of the young
Bernardone. If we wish to discover his inspiration, we must join him at the heart of this experience.
Francis was not born the “Universal Brother.” He became it. At the price of a profound conversion. As an
adolescent and a young man, he was not the man of peace that we admire. Certainly his first
biographers present him as an affable, courteous man who was open to others. However, under this
seductive exterior lay hidden depths of violence and ambition plus a desire for conquest and
domination. As the son of a rich merchant, Francis belonged to the rising class, eager for gain and avid
for power. In the medieval communes that had freed themselves from the feudal yoke, the rich middle
classes, headed by the merchants, intended to run their own affairs and exercise power. Carried along
by this rising social force, the young Francis also nourished great ambitions. He liked to show off, shine
like the sun, rise above others, have himself acclaimed king of the young social elite of Assisi.