TRUE HEALING

In the Gospel of Mark 1:40-45, Jesus heals a leper. During the time of Jesus, leprosy was a dreadful disease, highly contagious and considered a divine punishment for sin. Yet moved with pity, Jesus stretched out His hand, touched the leper and healed him. It reveals that no one is excluded from the love and mercy of God. Suffering, illness and death are part of human experience but they do not have the last word. The healing of Jesus reveals that God alone has the ultimate and last word. After the man was healed from leprosy, he began to publicize the whole matter and spread the report abroad so much so that Jesus could not enter a town openly. He was forced to remain outside in deserted places. The man could not contain his joy about his life changing encounter with Jesus. He was filled with enthusiasm to proclaim the good news about Jesus. He became an ardent evangelizer and spreader of the word. Like this man, we are also called to be on fire to proclaim the good news about Jesus. This is true healing because healing is for service. Jesus and the leper traded places. At the beginning of the healing story, the leper was forced to live in isolation. After the healing, he was restored to his family and community. On the other hand, at the beginning of the healing story, Jesus was moving freely among villages. After the healing, Jesus was forced to live in isolation. He was forced to live a life of a leper. This healing story prefigures the passion of Jesus because on the Cross, He was alone, disfigured, betrayed, beaten repeatedly, insulted and humiliated. Jesus who was innocent and without sin took upon himself our sins and punishment so that we are not punished anymore. This is true healing because by His wounds we are healed and by His blood we are saved. True healing is to be imitators of Christ that is to seek not our own advantage but always the advantage of others. Saint Mother Theresa speaks of the leprosy of loneliness in our times today. This is a kind of leprosy that is more deadly. The leprosy of indifference, division, discrimination, individualism, materialism, addiction, hatred, violence, self gratification and greediness. Again Jesus wants to heal us from this leprosy so that we become totally free and fully alive.