Kasey Arnold....Reaching out to the Grotesque

The Solace of Fierce Landscapes (35)
Lane has one of the most eloquent paragraphs describing why some of the most humble, loyal servants have been able to reach out to those less fortunate. He mentions Francis of Assisi and Mother Theresa. Their desire is to touch others; in this human interaction is a hidden connection of Jesus Christ. Lane explains it as a “longing to reach out to the grotesque, stroking the bloodied head of the slain lamb as its image gradually changes into the fierce and kindly face of a Lion whose name is Love”. I had the honor of serving at an AIDS orphanage in Kibera Slum, Nairobi, Kenya. Here the most unwanted, most unloved children in the world, lived only waiting to die. They had no one, nothing. As soon as I saw these kids, the need to touch them was extremely powerful. Disease, ethnicity, age, race, did not matter. NOTHING MATTERED but the NEED to show them Love. If only a little tangible love of touch, hopefully that would be enough to show them the power of the unconditional love of Christ. I can never explain the need to love on the. But as soon as I read this, I connected immediately. It is powerful this need to be able to love on something so revolting, yet in this connection, the grotesque becomes beautiful and powerful. This moment of my life, holding a little AIDS girl with snot running down her nose and her wiping it on me, was one of the best experiences of my life. I had to show her love the only way I know how—touch. Especially with a language barrier, it became the only thing we had in common. A need to express Christ’s love.