Of course I want to. Be healed!

VI SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME - Leviticus 13:1-2,44-46

During his ministry, Jesus encountered several lepers, whom he restored to health. One of them, cried out to Jesus, saying: “If you want to, you can cure me.” Feeling sorry for him, Jesus stretched out his hand and touched him. “Of course I want to!” he said. “Be cured!” (Mk 1:40-41). Driven by compassion, Jesus could not ignore the request of the leper. “Of course I want to!” There can be no doubt that Jesus is always ready to heal us and liberate us from the suffering that excludes us from the community, mainly the community of God’s children.

Leprosy was a terrible disease that left communities terrified with the fear of being infected. The ones suffering from this sickness, became outcasts, thrown out of the community to live a life of isolation and pain, dying slowly as their bodies rotted away. In the book of Leviticus, there are strict rules on how to deal with people suspected of leprosy. They must live apart, “outside the camp”, far from other people. We may find the measures harsh, and they were harsh indeed, but people had no other way of protecting themselves.

The plight of the lepers in the past brings to mind the present situation with Ebola, where everybody who comes in touch with an infected person is in danger. The danger of being infected is a real danger that affects everybody, mainly the ones in close contact, like the doctors, nurses and relatives. They cannot touch or greet each other; they cannot share anything, and they are forced to live as totally strangers or even enemies. It is not surprising that some people in the villages and in the city compounds try to hide their sick relatives or blame witchcraft or some plot organised by powerful people to confine and control them. And people live in fear. Like the cry of the leper, their cry can be heard, and they are in need of hearing Jesus’ answer: Of course I want to heal you.

The suffering brought about by Ebola, AIDS or any other pandemic has been an occasion for many people to behave like Jesus. Indeed, there are many who are ready to put their lives at risk for the sake of all those who are in despair. And many have died, sharing the condition of those they tried to help.

We may find many people who become doctors and nurses, in order to pursue a career and get a good salary or even enrich themselves, but others put themselves at the service of the ones who suffer, offering their lives, so that they may live. Those are blessed, and their lives will always stand out as an appeal for others to follow in the same footsteps.