Sunday Gospel Reflection: October 13, 2013

I remember when I was a child that among the dread disease in the society was TB, Malaria and Leprosy. Part of my fear about this disease was brought about by my ignorance on the medical field. Earlier of my religious life I heard some of my confrere who happen to visit the Leprosarium in Quezon City, I was surprise that they freely mingled with the patient without any protective measures.  Today, the advancement of medical science gradually changes the perspective regarding these diseases.

Both in the first reading and the Gospel today, we heard about the leprosy as a kind of dreaded disease.  During that time, leprosy is associated with sin.  People inflicted with this disease are being cast out from the community as required by the law of purity. They had to stay outside the town and avoided by everyone else. They are considered as unclean and any contact with them renders a person also unclean and may require to undergo an entire cleansing ritual the sometimes may take days.  But looking at it in a broader picture, the society may not only bind itself with Mosaic Law, but also to preserve to community from destruction over this “incurable” disease in their time.  I remember in my province in Bukidnon, one should step in the quarantine once you enter in its boundary.  This is a measure to protect our province which is rich in agricultural and Live Stock from any dangerous bacteria coming from the outside the province.

I would like to bring our attention to our society today.  There is this growing sense of Puritanism. We build our own invisible division in relation with other people. We make our own boundaries with other people.  The question is how do we define our boundaries and where do we based them? We sometimes ostracize people according to our own standard. We judge them according to our own likes and dislikes. We treat other as if they are unclean, refusing to welcome them or even to acknowledge them. It is mans natural inclination that we think that we are better than the others.

In our Gospel today, the healing of the lepers is not only a healing from their physical infirmities but also an act of reinstating them back to the community.  Jesus restores their dignity and brings back their relationship with the community. He risks his reputation and become associated with the outcast.  This act of Jesus invites us also to reflect our own relationship with other people.  Jesus shows that true compassion reaches even to the lowest level. God’s compassion has no limit and does not marginalize anyone. We are challenge today to remove all kinds of marginalization or boundaries that we set against other people.  Let us look with compassion upon our brother and sister who are marginalized because of poverty, faith, belief, ethnicity, gender and race.  Let us also ask the Lord to heal us from our own imperfection.  MANGYARI NAWA