When Jesus came down from the mountain, great crowds followed him. And then a leper approached, did him homage, and said, "Lord, if you wish, you can make me clean".
He stretched out his hand, touched him, and said, "I will do it. Be made clean." His leprosy was cleansed immediately.
Then Jesus said to him, "See that you tell no one, but go show yourself to the priest, and offer the gift that Moses prescribed; that will be proof for them".
The Word in other words
For many years, from elementary school to college, I suffered skin asthma, a disease triggered by eating seafood, chicken, and so on. My feet was so much affected that at times, I was forced to wear slippers in school. Eventually, it became a source of laughter ans ridicule among my classmates and friends. Several times I was hurt by the way I became a center of jokes. For more than twenty years my sickness became part of my prayer life. I always prayed for God to cure me someday.
My parents did their best to find a cure to my condition. We went as far as Cebu, Bohol's island neighbor, just to look for a doctor specializing in skin diseases. Our relatives and friends suggested a lot of clinics and hospitals. Alas! Even the most popular dermatologist could not prescribe a medicine that might liberate me from my skin asthma. And so I accepted my fate and moved on with the reality of living with skin asthma forever.
When I was a postulant, I was surprised to realize that skin diseases could be considered as a reaction to certain needs such as belongingness, intimacy, and affection. As a son of OFW parents we were either away from home or so much engaged in work , I eagerly sought for the satisfaction of these psycho-emotional needs. Deep inside me, I was desperate for God's healing. I could emphatize well with the leper in today's gospel- his feeling of being ostracized and bullied, his continuous search for the best doctor in town, and his longing for Jesus to liberate him from the evil of leprosy.
The leper's cry is also my cry. As a wounded people, it is our cry too, Today, thousands of 'lepers' in our midst await to be healed and freed from all sorts of sicknesses and maladies. Imagine those people who flock to healing masses and fellowships. Yet let us not despair, for the Lord shall one day descend from the mountain, and we, 'lepers' of all sorts, shall approach, do him homage and be made clean- not only physically but holistically, not only at that moment but forever. It will be an experience of healing grace from the Divine Healer.
-Fr. Kevin James Pizarras, SVD (DWST, Tagaytay City)
