A Few Words On "The Word"

February 12, 2006
The Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Mark 1: 40-45

The Ultimate Ick Factor

Leprosy was the ultimate ick factor. For a hundred or so years now, we've known that it's a disease caused by bacteria, and for the most part can be treated if not cured outright. But before that, people assumed that any contact with someone who had the disease-a leper-would give you the disease. And its effects were serious and sad. Fingers, toes, ears, noses literally fell off, and without treatment people with leprosy are seriously deformed.

Jesus doesn't just heal those with respectful diseases. He reaches out to all who are in need, especially those others consider too gross, too icky to even be with in the same room.

But the worst part about leprosy was that in Jesus' day, people thought that lepers must have done something really bad to suffer the ultimate ick disease. After all, people who are good (read: "well off enough") don't get this disease. (Leprosy was more often than not a side effect of extreme poverty: malnutrition, filthy living conditions.) Jesus busts down this attitude by literally reaching out and touching lepers-reconnecting them to the human community, including them in a new community that doesn't distinguish between saint and sinner, doctor and patient. Jesus would have been pretty good on Fear Factor, no? When it comes to others, fear not!



Reflection Question

Who are the lepers and where is the leprosy in your school?

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