Jan 22, 2024
O lover of the least,
the most wretched of society,
whom you embraced
when no one else would;
how like St. Francis you were
in your care for the lepers,
in your living the Gospel
as an image of Christ:
He was hungry and you fed Him,
thirsty and you gave Him drink,
naked and you clothed Him
and cared for Him when He was sick –
pray our hearts will burn
with the same sacrificial love
you bore so well
for those most abandoned,
that truly we shall see Christ in them
and welcome Him
into our homes…
may their suffering be our own.
How else shall we become holy?
How else shall we be welcomed
into the kingdom with you?