To be a leaper in the Old Testament meant that, you were abandoned and ostracized from the community – Lev. 13: 1-2, 44-46. To be an outcast was not to belong to any other human. You were transformed into a state of desolation. No one would have touched a leaper.
Jesus radically changes this concept in the Gospel – Mk. 1: 40-45. After the leaper, considered unclean, acknowledges his state of abandonment in his words; “ If you want to you can heal me”, Jesus was moved to compassion. He reached out and did what no one would have ever done in his time. He touched the sick man and said, “I will; be clean!”
REFLECTION
Who are the leapers of today who are rejected by us? Won’t we allow Jesus to touch us in our heart allowing us to embrace our brothers and sisters? We touch each other through our words, actions and thoughts. Of course it is difficult! This is why we find strength in his touch to embrace all of humanity; restoring God’s dignity to all. An appropriate song we can sing today is :
Shacked by a heavy burden,
Neath a load of guilt and shame,
Then the hands of Jesus touch me,
And now I am no longer the same,
He touched me, oh he touched me,
And oh the joy that fills my soul,
Something happened and now I know,
He touched me and made me whole,
When Jesus restores our health, he can still use us to heal others.