I was reading about St. Francis of Assisi today because I was reminded of a quote of his. "Preach the gospel at all time, and when necessary use words." This is part of what I read;

Francis' birth name was Giovanni. He was the son of a wealthy cloth merchant in Assisi, and he lived the high-spirited life typical of a wealthy young man, even fighting as a soldier for Assisi. While going off to war in 1204, Francis had a vision that directed him back to Assisi, where he lost his taste for his worldly life.

Francis heard a sermon that changed his life. The sermon was about Matthew 10:9, in which Christ tells his followers they should go forth and proclaim that the kingdom of heaven was upon them, that they should take no money with them, nor even a walking stick or shoes for the road. Francis was inspired to devote himself to a life of poverty.

I was thinking about this this morning as I was cooking pancakes for Melvin, Yoni and Christian and I thought maybe this is exactly what conversion is, Maybe it is a complete turn around and "loss" of taste for a previous life. I know you must be thinking ...well, of course Lori it is a complete turn around, isn't that what a conversion is?...and I would answer yes, but hear me out, how different are we? What about our life really changes? I think that if we really changed in a way that caused us to care about the things that God cares about, it, we would look really different, completely different. I am not making light of the changes we do make, But, I am afraid our lives really do not look very different from the world around us. I do not think we have "lost our taste" for this world, in a way we could leave it all behind. There are to many things we love, hold to and embrace that keep attached to this world.

Side note:

St Francis of Assisi probably best know for his famous prayer:

Lord, make me an instrument of your peace.
Where there is hatred, let me sow love;
where there is injury,pardon;
where there is doubt, faith;
where there is despair, hope;
where there is darkness, light;
and where there is sadness, joy.


O Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek
to be consoled as to console;
to be understood as to understand;
to be loved as to love.
For it is in giving that we receive;
it is in pardoning that we are pardoned;
and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life. Amen