BASED ON CATHOLIC LITURGICAL READINGS
THEME: “THE LEPROSY OF THE SOUL”
((Readings: 1st: Lev 13:1-2.44-46; Ps 31; 2nd: 1Cor 10:31-11:1; Gos: Mk 1:40-45))
Martin was a young soldier in the Roman army. One day, elegantly dressed, he mounted on his horse when a leper begging for alms accosted him. The sight and the stench of rotting flesh from the leper were so repulsive to the young Martin that his first instincts were to ride off on his horse. But something inside him forced him to walk towards the beggar. Since all he had was his military coat, he cut it into two and gave half to the leper while he wrapped himself with the other half. It was a very cold winter day in Europe. That very night in his dream he saw Christ clothed in a half coat saying to the angels around his throne, “Martin has clothed me with his garment.” This event was the turning point in the life of Martin who became St. Martin of Tours.
Leprosy was one of the most feared diseases in the history of the Israelites because of its contagious and deadly nature. Popular beliefs held that it was a curse and a punishment from God. According to the first reading, a leper was physically forbidden to set his/her foot in the village, and was forced to live in caves or woods; was to dress shabbily, was not to comb the hair so that he/she could be identified as a leper from a distance. If by chance he came across somebody he/she had to shout “I am unclean, I am unclean!” (Lv 13:45-46); In other words, the symptoms of this disease made a person too ugly to live with others and was very humiliating.
Dear brethren, by referring to leprosy in two readings today, clearly the Church wants to direct our attention to something deeper than a purely physical disease. This disease equally disfigures our real nature as God’s children, separates us from the community of the faithful, and makes us unworthy to stand before God. This disease is called SPIRITUAL LEPROSY or in other words SIN. The presence of spiritual leprosy is one of the causes of SPIRITUAL DRYNESS that I elaborately talked about last Sunday.
The state of sin is so serious that it is being compared with physical leprosy. Although we are physically strong, I think it is important to think about our spiritual well-being. Sin therefore has the following consequences in our life.
- SIN SEPARATES US FROM GOD THE COMMUNITY OF BELIEVERS
In ancient times leapers were separated from ordinary people by making them live outside the camp or town. In the church, a sin committed by a member is a rejection to live in the community. The difference with physical leprosy is that a person is isolated and rejected by the community. In the case of spiritual leprosy, a person rejects and isolates him/herself from the community of believers. He becomes once more a slave as the people of Israel were once slaves in a foreign land. Sin has the power to hold a person under its authority or what is biblically known as the captivity of sin. Jn 8:34 “Whoever commits sin is a slave of sin”.
Moreover, when we sin, we turn our hearts away from God who we should love with our whole heart. Sin damages our relationship with God. Is 59:2 “…but your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hidden his face from you, that he will not hear. Separating ourselves from God, who is the source of our life is a sure way that we are going to fail.
- SIN CAUSES SPIRITUAL DISABILITY/LEPROSY OF THE SOUL
Sin causes spiritual leprosy and makes us outcasts in the community of God´s people. Just like physical leprosy, spiritual leprosy/sin incapacitates a person on all spiritual matters and we become helpless as far as faith is concerned. We become completely spiritually disabled. However, today we are being invited to seek and encounter Jesus the healer, who cleanses our soul and our lives in the sacrament of reconciliation. He makes us once again whole and brings us the lost dignity if only we approach him with faith like the leper in the Gospel today. Jesus stretches his hands to touch our wounds, covers our shame, and heal the pains caused by spiritual leprosy.
- DAMNATION OR ULTIMATE DEATH
All sins are an offense to God, leading to death. Rom 6:23 “For the wages of sin is death”. By death I don’t refer to physical death necessarily but the death of everything about us. According to our catholic theology, after the resurrection from death, some will die again. These are the people who after judgment will not be found worthy to enter the Kingdom of God. They will be damned forever and thrown to burn into the fires of hell.
In conclusion dear brethren, I am very impressed with touching humility in the leper’s request to Jesus; “If you want to, you can cure me.” Moved with compassion, Jesus stretched out his hand, touched the leper, and made him clean at once. EVEN TODAY THE OUTSTRETCHED ARMS OF GOD’S SON ON THE CROSS ARE A NEVER-ENDING INVITATION FOR US TO SEEK OUR REFUGE IN HIM. We are invited to be like Jesus coming to the aid of the rejected in the community, the stigmatized, and the suffering humanity. Any help rendered to a beggar is a direct service rendered to Christ. Christians should be the source of hope for hopeless humanity. During today’s mass, let us pray that we may receive spiritual and physical healing through the Eucharist.
PRAYER: You are my refuge, O Lord; you fill me with the joy of salvation. Amen.
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“May the darkness of sin and the night of unbelief vanish before the light of the word and the spirit of Grace; and may the heart of Jesus live in the heart of all the people. Amen” SVD Prayer
SVD JAMBO KENTAN 