02/11/2018 Losing Our Spiritual Leprosy: (This Means You And Me). (Part 1)
Msgr. Charles Pope
A Homily for the 6th Sunday of the Year 2018.
http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/021118.cfm In the Gospel this Sunday, We see the healing of a "Leper."
(This Means You And Me).
The Lord said to Moses and Aaron, "If someone has on his skin a scab or pustule or blotch which appears to be the sore of leprosy, he shall be brought to Aaron, the priest, or to one of the priests among his descendants.
If the man is leprous and unclean, the priest shall declare him unclean by reason of the sore on his head.
"The one who bears the sore of leprosy shall keep his garments rent and his head bare, and shall muffle his beard;
He shall cry out, 'Unclean, unclean!’ As long as the sore is on him he shall declare himself unclean, since he is in fact unclean.
He shall dwell apart, making his abode outside the camp."
LV 13:1-2, 44-46
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I turn to you, Lord, in time of trouble, and you fill me with the joy of salvation.Blessed is he whose fault is taken away, whose sin is covered.
Blessed the man to whom the LORD imputes not guilt, in whose spirit there is no guile.
I turn to you, Lord, in time of trouble, and you fill me with the joy of salvation.Then I acknowledged my sin to you, my guilt I covered not. I said, "I confess my faults to the LORD,” and you took away the guilt of my sin.
I turn to you, Lord, in time of trouble, and you fill me with the joy of salvation.Be glad in the LORD and rejoice, you just; Exult, all you upright of heart.
I turn to you, Lord, in time of trouble, and you fill me with the joy of salvation.PS 32:1-2, 5, 11
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Brothers and sisters,
Whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do everything for the glory of God.
Avoid giving offense, whether to the Jews or Greeks or the church of God,
just as I try to please everyone in every way, not seeking my own benefit but that of the many, that they may be saved.
Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ.1 COR 10:31—11:1
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In Scripture, leprosy describes more than just a physical affliction;
It is a metaphor for sin as well.
Obviously leprosy itself is not sin, but its effects are similar.Like leprosy, "Sin Disfigures Us";
It deteriorates us;
It distances us (lepers had to live apart from the community) and it brings death if left unchecked.
The following passage can be seen as comparing sin to leprosy:
There is no soundness in my flesh because of thy indignation;
There is no health in my bones because of my sin.
For my iniquities have gone over my head;
They weigh like a burden too heavy for me.
My wounds grow foul and fester because of my foolishness, I am utterly bowed down and prostrate;
All the day I go about mourning … there is no soundness in my flesh …
My friends and companions stand aloof from my plague, and my kinsmen stand far off.(Psalm 38).
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Perhaps a brief description of leprosy might be in order so that we can further appreciate both the physical disease and by analogy how sin gradually devastates us. I have compiled this description from several sources, among them, William Barclay’s Commentary on Mark.
Leprosy begins with an unaccountable lethargy and pains in the joints.
Then there appear on the body, especially on the back, symmetrical discolored patches with pink and brown nodules and the skin becomes thickened.
Gradually the symptoms move to the face and the nodules gather especially in the folds of the cheek, the nose, the lips, and the forehead.
The whole appearance of the face is changed till a person loses his human appearance and looks more like a lion.
The nodules grow larger and larger and they begin to ulcerate, and from them comes a foul discharge of pus.
The eyebrows fall out and the eyes become staring.
The voice becomes hoarse and the breath wheezes because of the ulceration of the vocal cords.
Eventually the whole body becomes involved.
Discolored patches and blisters appear everywhere.
The muscles waste away;
The tendons contract until the hands look more like claws.
Next comes the progressive loss of fingers and toes until a whole hand or foot may drop off.
It is a kind of a terrible and slow, progressive death of the body.
The disease may last from ten to thirty years and ends in mental decay, coma, then finally death.
Yet this was not all.
The lepers had to bear not only the physical torment of the disease, but also the mental anguish and heartache of being completely banished from society.
They were forced to live outside of town in leper areas.
Everyone they knew and loved was lost to them and could only be seen from a distance.
In the middle ages, when people were diagnosed with leprosy, they were brought to the Church and the priest read the burial service over them, for in effect they were already dead, though still alive.
This description of leprosy shows how the illness develops, how it disfigures, deteriorates, and distances the leper.
At that time, not every diagnosis of leprosy was accurate (there are many skin conditions that can resemble leprosy in its early stages).
If the skin cleared up or at least did not deteriorate, the supposed leper could be readmitted to the community.
What about us. We who are, “Spiritual Lepers” ?
How are we to find healing ?
Today’s Gospel suggests four steps to find healing from the spiritual “Leprosy of Sin.”1. Admit the Reality:The text says, A leper came to Jesus, and kneeling down, begged him and said, “If you wish you can make me clean.”
The man knows he is a leper;
He knows he needs healing.
He humbles himself and pleads for cleansing.
Do we know our sin?
Do we know we need healing?
Are we willing to ask for it?
We live in times in which sin is often made light of;
"Confessional lines are short."
We often excuse our faults by blaming others or perhaps we point to some other sinner who is apparently “worse” than we are and think.
“Well, at least I’m not as bad as he is.”
All of us are loaded with sin. We can be thin-skinned, egotistical, unforgiving, unloving, unkind, mean-spirited, selfish, greedy, stingy, lustful, jealous, envious, bitter, ungrateful, smug, superior, angry, vengeful, aggressive, unspiritual, and un-prayerful.
Even if everything on that list doesn’t apply to you, certainly many of them do, at least at times.
And that list isn’t even complete!
We are sinners with a Capital "S,” and we need serious help.
Like the leper in the Gospel, we must start with step one:
Admitting the reality of our sin and humbly asking the Lord for help.(End Part 1)