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Gospel:
When Jesus came down from the mountain, great crowds followed him.
And then a leper approached, did him homage, and said,
“Lord, if you wish, you can make me clean.”
He stretched out his hand, touched him, and said,
“I will do it. Be made clean.”
His leprosy was cleansed immediately.
Then Jesus said to him, “See that you tell no one,
but go show yourself to the priest,
and offer the gift that Moses prescribed;
that will be proof for them.”
The Gospel of the Lord.
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Leprosy was a disease that disfigured, and in some cases, slowly ate away at a person’s flesh.
Part of why people intentionally kept their distance from lepers was because they didn’t know how leprosy was contracted.
So, when approaching the edge of town, lepers had to cry out, “Unclean! Unclean!”
A warning to others: stay away. Spotting a leper sparked panic.
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The damage caused by this disease was not only physical; it was also psychologically and emotionally devastating.
Lepers lived entirely alone.
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Thus, the physical healing of this man’s body was only the beginning of his journey.
Jesus did his part. He cleansed the man’s flesh.
But now the community must also do theirs. They must welcome a man they once feared, seeing him not as a leper, but as a brother.
In that sense, the community must be healed, too; they need to be cleansed of their fear.
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It’s not easy making room in our hearts for “lepers” – the black sheep; those who’ve hurt us, but now seek our forgiveness; the recovering addict; people with whom we disagree; or those who are different from us, seeking to build a bridge.
But when God acts in their lives, initiating some form of healing, we must continue the good work begun within them – much like that early community was being challenged to welcome the leper, now cleansed.
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What might it look like for me alleviate some fear in order to make room for a “leper” in my heart?
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Image credits: (1) The Healing Trust (2) Jesus Heals a Leper by Jean Marie Melchior Doze, Fine Art America (3) Amazon.com