KISSING THE LEPER

Action and physical manifestation always

Accompany A Real Conversion

Sit in a circle where honest life stories are shared, and you’ll almost always hear a conversion story of some kind.

As a young, wealthy Italian at the beginning of the 13th century, Francis of Assisi believed that he heard God saying, “Francis, all the things you once loved in the flesh you must now despise, and from those things you formerly loathed you will drink great sweetness and immeasurable delight.”

Francis did more than reflect on these words; he applied them in a stunning and beautiful fashion. He rode his horse from town and encountered a person that he despised — a leper. At one time untreatable, this horrific disease involves bacteria infecting the nerves and then destroying them one by one, especially in the cooler parts of the body like toes, fingers and earlobes. “Nothing disgusted me like seeing the victims of leprosy,” Francis wrote of his preconversion life.

Remembering how he would come to love that which he loathed and filled with joy at his newfound faith, Francis leapt from his horse. He knelt before the leper, the story goes, and proceeded to kiss his diseased, pale hand. He kissed him. He then gave the leper money, jumped back on his horse and rode to a local leper colony. Francis “begged their pardon for having so often despised them” and refused to leave until he had joyfully embraced and kissed each of them. His life to follow would involve service and sacrifice on behalf of others, inspiring even the present leader of the Catholic church to make faith incarnate.

Some scoff at stories of conversion and transformation, but almost every human experiences it at one time or another. Conversion speaks of changing from one state to another, literally turning in a different di- rection. We may experience a conversion to a different political philosophy, to a different religion, or to a different lifestyle, but almost all of us experience at least one conversion moment.

And don’t we desire to be changed? We may want to be more compassionate, to have a more meaningful line of work, to be more loving, to make a difference. And yet, the process of how conversion takes place can be mysterious. We may be forced to change through adverse circumstances, resistant at first, but later grateful for the hardship that created a change in us that we knew needed to happen. Or we may desire a change for years and years and finally, feeling so exhausted and defeated by the old way, we know that it’s time to turn in a different direction.

Some scoff at stories of conversion and transformation, but almost every human experiences it at one time or another.

Author Sue Monk Kidd says, “When you can’t go forward, and you can’t go backward, and you can’t stay where you are without killing off something deep and vital in yourself, you are on the edge of creation.”

The point is that transformation often involves a moment like kissing a leper. Faith must touch flesh. Conversion must go beyond the superficial and become explicit action.

When that happens, we have a story worth telling.

iWinning

Three lucky readers, who took a few minutes to fill out the online Advocate reader survey at advocatemag.com, won a free iPad, courtesy of Advocate Media. Winners are Greg Dale , Bianca Gantt and Danielle Spedale (not in photo), pictured with Advocate marketing director Michelle Meals Photo by Danny Fulgencio.

Local Resources

TO ADVERTISE 214.560.4203

CLASSES/TUTORING/ LESSONS

LEARN NEW TESTAMENT GREEK

Beginners intermediates; Rice, TCU, DTS ex; John Cunyus 214-662-5494 www.JohnCunyus.com

PIANO LESSONS All ages & levels. Over 20 years experience. Oak Cliff area. Call Tim at 214-989-7093

Employment

AIRLINE CAREERS Begin Here. Get Trained As FAA Certified Aviation Technician. Financial Aid For Qualified Students. Housing & Job Placement Assistance. AIM 866-453-6204

Services For You

DISH TV RETAILER Starting at $19.99/month (for 12 months) & High Speed Internet starting at $14.95/month (where available) Save. Ask about Same Day Installation 1-800-615-4064 BOUNCE HOUSES

SLIDES

MACHINES