One day, as Francis was riding near Assisi, he met a leper. He had always felt an overpowering horror of these sufferers; but making a great effort, he conquered his aversion, dismounted, and, in giving the leper a coin, kissed his hand. The leper gave him the kiss of peace, after which Francis remounted his horse and rode away. From that day onwards he mortified himself increasingly, until, through God's grace, he won a complete victory.
Saint Francis of Assisi
Legend of the Three Companions
Chapter IV
Saint Francis of Assisi
Legend of the Three Companions
Chapter IV
T
This is interesting Fra Chris. It says with 'great' effort he conquered his 'aversion'. After the exchange it tells us that from that day onward Francis increasingly 'mortified' himself. This passage tells us what Francis felt and what he did but it doesn't explore what happened. In other writings we read that Francis felt himself to be 'a new man' after this. Again, in other places, we learn that Francis felt he had truly encountered the living Christ. In fact, I recall reading that Francis later when looking for this leper, couldn't find him, so asked around and was told, "No such leper like that lives in this area". Whatever powerful experience he went through it made him want to mortify himself more and more (kill fleshy, worldly, temporal urges). Of course Christ teaches us that "Those who seek to save their lives shall lose them. While those who lose their lives, for My sake, shall save them." What kind of life was Jesus offering to those who denied themselves, took up their cross and followed Him? Jesus said, "I have come that you might have life and have it more abundantly". THIS is what Francis found - the gift given by Christ to Francis when He 'with great effort' overcame himself and loved in obedience to Christ - to love. What if all of us who claim to be disciples and followers of Jesus, died to self and loved like Jesus - with a commitment that doesn't hesitate even if it requires death? Those who got leprosy were destined to die in a truly horrible and painful way. Leprosy is contagious (at certain times) yet Francis not only gave an 'alms' but kissed the hand of the beggar. Francis went . . . all the way. God help us to follow!
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Thank you, Brother Joseph.
ReplyDeleteYes we all have something (many things) in our lives that we fear. Sometimes it cripples us so that we a frozen in fear, unable to force our bodies to move or our minds to think of anything other than morbid compunctions of death! Yet once we force ourselves to confront this evil face-to-face, it no longer has a strangle hold on us. We have conquered it! It then becomes us who control it and not it contolling us. Only then are we truly free.
How do we conqer these fears? We conquer them just as St. Francis did with the leper and just as the Desert Fathers and the monks like Bro. Giles and Bro. Sylvester instructed us to do; with a kiss on the mouth!