Feb 12^th, 2006

Sixth Sunday Ordinary Time

Lev. 13:1-2,45-46 Psalm: 32  1 Corinthians 10: 23-11:1 Mark 1: 40-45

In 1974, I worked for three months in this parish, when Fr. Hugh O’Donnell went on leave. Most of my ministry was with the young children dying of cancer in Princess Margaret. Parents would ask me to pray for their children who had cancer. I said yes readily and I did pray for them fervently. But there was always, “according to your will” added to my prayers. But in 1990, my mother was diagnosed with cancer.  Now, suddenly when it came to my mother- the prayer was different. Like the Man with Leprosy in the gospel today, I too went to the Lord. But I did not pray like the Leper humbly “if you want to, you can heal her”. When I prayed, it was a simple blunt: “Lord, you JUST have to heal her.” The prayer was answered. Today, she is enjoying a holiday in California, and I am enjoying the cold over here. My mother was cured, but I was healed.

Cured and Healed - is there a difference. Way back in 1858, a little girl called Bernadette was at the Rock at Masabielle, near the village of Tarbes in Southern France. She had gone to gather some fire wood. The rest is a story we all know very well, and which we are celebrating today in our parish of Our Lady of Lourdes.

•  We know how the Lady was dressed in white according to Bernadette.
• She described herself as the Immaculate Conception.
• These were words Bernadette heard, but did not understand.
• This Belief of Faith had been defined only four years earlier. 
• Bernadette was also asked to dig the earth in front of the Rock.

She did so with her hands, and soon a muddy stream of water began to erupt from the ground. Today it is broad river, flowing gently at the Side of the Grotto in the town of Lourdes. Hundreds of people go there, with the hope of a cure. In the past, these cures were in abundance, but they are few today, but nearly everyone comes back with the phrase, “I have been healed.”

Cures are from diseases which are due to bacteria, viruses, germs and they need medications, surgery, drugs to cure. Our first reading from Leviticus are just a few verses from two full chapters . These gives us a detailed “way of proceeding” when there was a case of leprosy.

 The Leprosy was not Hansen’s disease as we know it now. It was not the leprosy that we hear in the heroic story of Fr. Damian and the Lepers of the Molokai island. Leprosy was any kind of skin imperfection. Scholars tell us that it could applied to psoriasis, dandruff, dry scaly skin due to cold in winter to zits, pimples and acne. It was an imperfection that included fabric and clothes and even walls of houses. So a case of leprosy was declared if you botched up wall papering in your house, or did a bad job of plastering the house when you perhaps were plastered yourself.

Leprosy was something external and visible. You were to be isolated like people were during the Says Epidemic of recent history. You were to stay out of the village, our of the community. You were “ex-communicated”. And so it was not the doctor but the priest who saw you and told you to stay away from the community. It was for this reason the Jesus told the leper who was cured to show himself to the Priest.

Leprosy was not only a disease but also an illness. You had not only to be cured from your disease, you had to be healed from that terrible stigma of being an outsider, excommunicated, not wanted.

 Our teenagers understand this feeling better than we do. Ask a teenager what it feels like to hae a zit or a pimple on the forehead on your nose just the day before your graduation. We have enough of Sit-coms like Raven, and Steve Erkel and Malcolm in the middle to prove the point.

Today, Jesus does both a cure and a healing. He then goes on to break the common laws to establish the Kingdom of God.

• He cures the Leper from his skin imperfection.
• He heals the Leper who has been cast outside the community. He welcomes the Leper back home.
• He does this by breaking the common law: “Do not touch a person with leprosy.

At the Last Supper, Jesus will tell his Apostle: You call me Teacher and Master and rightly so. Now you go and do likewise. He could have said the same today. You welcome the Leper, you heal the Leper, you touch the leper in your community today. The healing of the Leper is the very Eucharist we celebrate today. The Leper said, “If you want to, you can heal me.” At communion we will say, “ say but the Word and I shall be healed.” As Jesus comes to us in Holy communion, he says the same words as he said to the Leper, “I want to ! Be Healed.”

 Too many of us barely touch the full power and potential of the Gift of the Eucharist. We bow, we say, “my Lord and My God.” some even say “thank you” - these might be pious devotions, but we miss the point: We are invited to be healed like the Woman with the haemorrhage “if I only touch Him, I will be healed” And as Jesus comes into our hearts the message is the same he gave to the Leper, “I choose to ! Be healed.” Our response is a deep felt and fervent Amen, “May it be so.”

As we celebrate the Patron Feast of our parish of Our Lady of Lourdes, we come to be healed, we also hope to be cured. Perhaps of cancer, Alzheimer, arthritis, Parkinsons, macula degeneration, multiple sclerosis. One thing we can be sure of is the Healing. We come away with strength and courage, sometimes with wisdom and an understanding of God’s plan in our illnesses. We pray to the Spirit,

Lay your hands gently upon us

Let their touch render your peace

Let them bring your forgiveness and healing

Lay your hands, gently lay your hands ...