Francis let himself be completely captivated by the depth and splendor of this love.

Through the
humanity of Christ and his life given fully, Francis discovered the merciful manner in which God views
men and women. And he too looked at them differently. His universe was opened to human misery. In
his Testament, Francis himself recounted the radical change that came over him: “The Lord granted me,
Brother Francis, to begin to do penance in this way: While I was in sin, it seemed very bitter to me to see
lepers. And the Lord himself led me among them and I had mercy upon them. And when I left them, that
which seemed bitter to me was changed into sweetness of soul and body.” A New Quality of
Relationship Let us tarry for a while on this change. Everything grew from this. Francis did not hesitate to
present his conversion as a new openness towards people and towards the world. His universe had
exploded. He now dared to seek out men and women from whom he would previously have kept away,
people he did not want to see and whom he excluded from his world.