When I was a child of perhaps eight or nine, I remember seeing an ad (I think it was on the back of a comic book) that began with this statement: “The heartbreak of psoriasis!” I didn’t know what psoriasis was, but I knew that it must be a bad disease! Our Gospel this Sunday shows Jesus as he gives us the picture of God dealing with someone who had such a heartbreaking disease: leprosy. It wasn’t what we know of now as Hansen’s disease, it was any skin problem that was obvious to anyone who looked at the person. This person who was afflicted was forced to live outside of the community, with no contact with society. What Jesus does as he reaches out and touches the wound of this “leper” is to show the deep compassion of God, especially toward those who are wounded and rejected. Perhaps more important than Jesus’ act of healing the afflicted man is the good news, seen in Jesus, that, whatever our wounds might be—hidden or evident—Jesus has the same compassion for us, the same desire to heal us. This healing can send up out to do what Jesus does: touch others with compassion and care, especially those who need it most.
-Fr. Len Kraus, SJ
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