%0 Journal Article
%T Awakened by Love:  Saint Francis of Assisi as Model for the Church¡¯s Mission to Health Care and Charitable Service
%A Paschal M. Corby
%J The Linacre Quarterly
%@ 2050-8549
%D 2018
%R 10.1177/0024363918774065
%X Departing from the story of his encounter with the leper, Saint Francis of Assisi is offered as a paradigm of Christian health care and charitable service. In this grace-filled moment, Francis testifies that what had previously seemed bitter to him ¡°was turned into sweetness of soul and body.¡± He was changed by the encounter and awakened to his capacity to love. Francis¡¯s story witnesses to the divine initiative in calling us to charity, of recognizing the presence of Christ in those who suffer, and of acknowledging that our service of others is a privileged space in which the mystery of God becomes a reality. Weaved together with reflections from recent magisterial teachings, Francis¡¯s experience teaches us that Christian charity can never be reduced to an ideology or the accomplishment of works but flows from a heart touched by God, converted to truth, and expanded by love. Summary: In speaking to those involved in the charitable mission of the Church, Pope Benedict XVI once spoke of the need for a formation of the heart through an ¡°encounter with God in Christ which awakens their love and opens their spirits to others.¡± In this reflection, I offer Saint Francis of Assisi as a model of such formation, inspired by the celebrated moment of his encounter with the leper on the road: an encounter which witnesses to the primacy of God¡¯s initiative in enabling us to love with His own love and see His presence in those we serve
%K Benedict XVI
%K Deus caritas est
%K health care
%K leper
%K love
%K mission
%K Saint Francis of Assisi
%K spirituality
%U https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/0024363918774065