Imagine being a leper during Old Testament times or at the time of Jesus. Being a leper during Old Testament times or at the time of Jesus had extreme consequences. It was one of the most feared (and most frequently encountered) diseases in ancient times.
The bacterial skin infection started small, almost imperceptibly, but it soon spread. It rotted the victim’s extremities (fingers, nose, lips, etc.) and gave off a thoroughly disgusting smell.
Lepers were excluded from society and left to die a slow, painful, humiliating death. They were prohibited by law from coming within 100 yards of healthy people; this is why they had to shout, “Unclean, unclean!” To come into contact with a leper was to make oneself unclean, since their disease, so it was believed, was a sign of God’s punishment.
Total isolation
Those with these skin diseases were banned from any temple worship; they were kicked out of their homes and their families because any contact with them or their clothing would make others ritually unclean. And since family, community, and temple worship were extremely important in the lives of all the faithful Jewish people, one can just imagine the emotional pain that a person with leprosy may have been going through... completely without a community – no communion with others - total isolation.
In such a community-oriented world, being expelled from one’s community was a terrible penalty. An individual’s identity came from membership in a specific clan and village. When lepers recovered from their disease, they had to go through an extensive and elaborate, seven day rite of purification. The great length they had to go through to return to temple worship and their community...and out of isolation...in the end was a horrible existence. It is important to understand the situation of the leper so that we can understand the response from Jesus.
As we heard in the Gospel, “Moved with pity, Jesus stretched out his hand, touched him, and said to him, “I do will it. Be made clean.” So often Jesus' humanness gets lost because of his divinity. But Jesus really does have a human heart.
He desires to be close to us in his humanity as well as his divinity. He desires to be with each one of us in this same intimate way.
Jesus' touch
St. Luke points out a subtle detail in this encounter that we should not overlook. Jesus moved with compassion, with deep care and love, he stretched out his hand and touched him....and healed him. Jesus cured the leper by touching him. Think about that for a minute. Jesus was all-powerful. There are other times in the Gospels where he performs a miracle simply with a word, or even just with an unspoken desire. He didn't have to touch this leper; and in fact, as I mentioned earlier, it was against Jewish law to touch him. A word or a wave of his hand would have healed the leper. It would have fulfilled Jewish law, and been a lot more pleasant than touching the decaying flesh of this outcast. And yet, Jesus does touch him. Jesus makes a point of touching him.
Jesus goes beyond what is strictly necessary, because he wants to show us that his love is super-abundant. He doesn't measure out his mercy. Because he is the face of the Father’s mercy, he pours it out like Niagara Falls. Jesus touched that leper for our sake, just as he suffered his long, excruciating crucifixion for our sake.
In doing so, Jesus made himself impure....he made himself unclean according to Jewish Laws of Leviticus. Jesus too would be made an outcast; he would be declared unclean and cast outside of the city to be executed on a cross. But through his love and care and compassion, Jesus would willingly take on the uncleanness...the sinfulness of all humanity...of all of us lepers... and in doing so, would bring healing to all who would approach him for healing. Jesus became a leper, in a sense, so that we could become members of the community of God. This healing of the leper is a metaphor for us sinners. Jesus came so that we would not have to live in isolation because of sin, but so that we can live in communion because of him. We clearly see the heart of Jesus and the love he has for each one of us.
He loves us unconditionally
Jesus knows that it is hard for us to trust him, to come to him with our wounds, sins, weaknesses, and failures. He knows it’s hard for us, and so he makes it easier, by showing us that he is so much bigger than all of that. He knows everything about us, and he still loves us unconditionally. Saint Therese, The Little Flower, used to say that compared to the fire of Christ's merciful love, all of our sins are like a little drop of water being tossed into a blazing furnace.
As we hear the story of the leper, we are invited to see in this encounter with Jesus the experience of every believer. In the eyes of Jesus, we are accepted, not because our skin is perfect, or our body is perfect, or our spirits are unblemished, but because he has entered our condition and reaches out to touch and heal us. He is doing that at this Eucharist today; here he touches us, making us clean and acceptable to God.
May we approach the Lord Jesus in this Eucharist today with the posture and prayer of the leper who fell prostrate, pleaded with Jesus: “Lord, if you wish, you can make me clean.” And we can be absolutely certain of Jesus’ response, “I do will it.”
Video of Bishop Gruss' Homily
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