Mk 1, 40-45
"A leper came to him
and kneeling down begged him"
and kneeling down begged him"
Several times in the year, some people of the Hansenite Association (or, similar group) would visit the office and ask for some financial help. (Although, it is not clear where the donations would actually go). These people are already cured of leprosy, but the scars are still very visible: the missing fingers, scarred face, scars and more scars. The reactions of people when they would see them are expected: moving away, talking loudly so that these Hansenites would not go near, giving anything so that they can move on fast, and away from the "normal" people.
A leper must be living a lonely life. Shunned by society (and even by family members), they feel that they do not belong. Hence, alone.
My sister who is a Dermatologist once diagnosed a girl of having the early stages of leprosy. The family decided immediately that it was best for everybody that the girl would be sent to another place. Nothing would be mentioned about the disease, ever.
A lonely life for a leper.
I once heard somebody complained, "I felt like a leper. Nobody wants me. Nobody listens to me. I am nobody. Have nobody."
When the leper was touched by Jesus, he must have felt that he belonged once again. Touched by somebody, he knew that he was still wanted, needed, loved. He was not alone anymore.
We can make others feel like lepers by our indifference, prejudices and biases, by our discriminatory words and actions. We can make lepers out of our friends and family members. We can make them very lonely, and so sad. Like lepers.
Let us touch them once again with our presence. With our words of encouragement. With our listening ears. With our helping hands. Visit them. Then they will feel they belong. Once again. Loved and appreciated. Again.
A leper must be living a lonely life. Shunned by society (and even by family members), they feel that they do not belong. Hence, alone.
My sister who is a Dermatologist once diagnosed a girl of having the early stages of leprosy. The family decided immediately that it was best for everybody that the girl would be sent to another place. Nothing would be mentioned about the disease, ever.
A lonely life for a leper.
I once heard somebody complained, "I felt like a leper. Nobody wants me. Nobody listens to me. I am nobody. Have nobody."
When the leper was touched by Jesus, he must have felt that he belonged once again. Touched by somebody, he knew that he was still wanted, needed, loved. He was not alone anymore.
We can make others feel like lepers by our indifference, prejudices and biases, by our discriminatory words and actions. We can make lepers out of our friends and family members. We can make them very lonely, and so sad. Like lepers.
Let us touch them once again with our presence. With our words of encouragement. With our listening ears. With our helping hands. Visit them. Then they will feel they belong. Once again. Loved and appreciated. Again.
