Service and Hospitality: Francis of Assisi: Serving the Lepers

Francis of Assisi's conversion began not with a vision or a sermon but with an act of service. He wrote in his Testament: "When I was in sin, it seemed too bitter for me to see lepers. And the Lord himself led me among them and I showed mercy to them. And when I left them, what had seemed bitter to me was turned into sweetness of soul and body." This encounter with the suffering of others became the turning point of his life.

Francis taught his brothers that service to the poor, the sick, and the marginalized is not an addition to the spiritual life but its very heart. He instructed: "The brothers should rejoice when they live among people considered of little value and are looked down upon, among the poor and the powerless, the sick and the lepers, and the beggars by the wayside." Service, for Francis, was not condescension from above but solidarity from below.

Practical application: Volunteer one day this month at a shelter, food bank, or hospital. Go not to teach or lead but to serve in whatever capacity is needed -- sorting donations, cleaning, or simply listening to people's stories. Francis discovered that serving those we naturally avoid transforms both the server and the served.