The Fascinating Secret that Jesus Revealed to St. Francis during His Conversion
Francis Encounters a Leper
Based Upon the Legend of the Three Companions (L3C 11: FAED II, 74)
One day, while he was praying enthusiastically to the Lord in the forest near Assisi, Francis received this response: “Francis, everything you loved carnally and desired to have, you must despise and hate, if you wish to know my will. Because once you begin doing this, what before seemed delightful and sweet will be unbearable and bitter; and what before made you shudder will offer you great sweetness and enormous delight.”
He was overjoyed at this and was comforted by the Lord. Soon after Francis met a leper. And, even though he usually shuddered at lepers, he made himself embrace the leper and kiss his hand as he did so. After he accepted a kiss of peace from him, Francis fell into deep prayer. He then began to consider himself less and less, until, by God’s grace, he came to complete victory over himself.
After a few days, he moved to a hospice of lepers, taking with him a large sum of money. Calling them all together, as he kissed the hand of each, he gave them alms. When he left there, what before had been bitter, that is, to see and touch lepers, was turned into sweetness. For, as he said, the sight of lepers was so bitter to him, that he refused not only to look at them, but even to approach their dwellings. If he happened to come near their houses or to see them, even though he was moved by piety to give them alms through an intermediary, he always turned away his face and held his nose. With the help of God’s grace, he became such a servant and friend of the lepers, that, as he testified in his Testament, he stayed among them and served them with humility.
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