The Leper

In today’s first reading we hear about the Mosaic laws concerning Leprosy. Leprosy, or Hanson’s disease, as it is called today, was serious business in the ancient world. There was no cure, and so the person with leprosy would spend the few years they had left gradually watching their body deteriorate, and pieces of themselves dying and coming off. Skin, fingers, toes, hands, feet, until they were left a helpless wreck, in constant pain, having to live alone until they were too weak to live.

Leprosy is a perfect analogy for sin. Without a “cure” the sinner gradually becomes a slave to sin. It takes over his life, until pieces of his life are lost, and eventually the sinner becomes too weak and in constant pain from his sin. The penalty for sin, like leprosy, is isolation and death. Now, you may think that there are people who are happy in their sin, but that is part of the problem. Ironically one of the penalties of sin is it feels good, and we take that immediate but shallow pleasure over the true joy of a relationship with God. And over time we lose that relationship to the extent that we no longer desire it, and are lost in habitual sin.

And consider what happens to the leper. He comes to Jesus, admitting his disease, and Jesus heals him, just as He heals us from our sins. After the healing, notice that Jesus can no longer enter the cities, but has to remain out in the wilderness. He is taking on the punishment that the leper “deserved” – namely he cannot go into cities. This all points to the way Jesus took our sins and suffered the punishment we deserved, death on the cross. What seems on the surface to be a simple story about a leper actually has a deeper meaning as well, about the love of God for each of us, and how He is willing to take our punishment so that we may live.

Lastly, consider how the leper approaches Jesus. He doesn’t try to hide his leprosy or impose upon Jesus. He humbly kneels, and doesn’t even presume to try to make Jesus heal him, he just trusts in Jesus and says “if you wish, you can make me clean.” Too often we ask God to do something for us, but we don’t actually trust that God can do it. So we pray over and over, “Lord heal this” or “Lord change that.” But if the Lord actually healed or changed what we ask, we would be surprised that it happened, and maybe even attribute the event to something else – “oh that chemo worked,” or “they changed their mind about it.”

We ask but don’t expect to be answered. On the contrary, the leper believes that Jesus can heal him, but does not presume to ask. What a great faith he has! May we all strive to be more like the leper. Acknowledge what we need, have faith that God will do what’s best, and leave it in His hands, knowing that He loves us and will take care of us. Or as Padre Pio so succinctly put it “Pray, Hope and don’t worry. Worry is useless. God is merciful and will hear your prayer.”

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