6TH SUNDAY ORDINARY
LOVING THE UNLOVABLE
Often we meet the “taong grasa” in our streets. These are the poor, homeless people wandering our roads covered in grime and dirt, often naked and ever in search of food in garbage bins. What is your reaction when you meet such a person? Surely it must be a mixture of horror, avoidance, fear and indifference. Most of us never had a conversation with such people.
The Bible’s version of the homeless, dirty beggar of today is none other than the leper. He too, was avoided and despised because his scourge carried the stigma of sin and divine punishment. The Old Testament reading today advised people on how to isolate the leper in society. To be a leper in the Jewish society of Jesus’ time was not a pleasant, but a most dreadful and painful experience.
It must have been a real shock for people to see that their respected prophet and teacher not only conversed with a leper but also, moved by that encounter, “touched” him and healed him. And it must have been the highlight of this poor man’s life to be regarded again as important by a fellow human being. In his ministry, Jesus would repeatedly defy societal restrictions and extend his love to lepers and to other castaways of his milieu.
Here we see the distinction of Jesus’ approach to the marginalized of society. In his heart there was no reservation towards anyone. His heart was truly open, accommodating and compassionate to all who needed him. In doing this, the Lord did not listen to conventions but only to his Father, whose warm, pulsating heart craved to embrace the poor and suffering.
In our lives today, we rarely meet lepers. I don’t even remember being in the presence of one. As for the dirty, homeless poor, the “taong grasa”, we occasionally meet them but our encounters are as fleeting as they come. But surely we have our own version of lepers in our lives. There are people we refuse to acknowledge as our equals, the ones we consciously ignore and whose presence we loath. To us, they are “non-persons.”
Just think of your enemies. How long have you decisively refused to have any contact with the people who hurt you in the past? Then think of the people who do not belong to your “class” – not of the same social circle, intellectual background or moral attitudes that you possess. Isn’t it true that you live your life comfortably without thinking about them? And then there are the truly needy among us whose experiences spark the littlest interest within us, like the victims of various calamities for whom we give some extra coins at the second collection.
The gospel challenges us to adopt the same mind as Christ. Are we willing to be moved by others’ experiences? Are we ready to touch them with our hands and love them in our hearts? This week, let us resolve to love the leper of our lives. And may Jesus help us to boldly take the first step.
