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Sixth Sunday of the
Epiphany
February 12, 2006
Sermon by Rev. Peggy Tuttle, Interim Rector
Readings
Two priests died at the same time and met Saint Peter at the Pearly Gates. St. Peter said, "I'd like to get you guys in now, but our computer is down. You'll have to go back to Earth for about a week, but you can't go back as priests. So what else would you like to be?"
The first priest says, "I've always wanted to be an eagle, soaring above the Rocky Mountains."
"So be it," says St. Peter, and off flies the first priest.
The second priest mulls this over for a moment and asks, "Will any of this week 'count', St. Peter?" "No, I told you the computer's down. There's no way we can keep track of what you're doing." "In that case," says the second priest, "I've always wanted to be a stud." "So be it," says St. Peter, and the second priest disappears.
A week goes by, the computer is fixed, and the Lord tells St. Peter to recall the two priests. "Will you have any trouble locating them?" He asks. "The first one should be easy," says St. Peter. "He's somewhere over the Rockies, flying with the eagles. But the second one could prove to be more difficult."
"Why?" asketh the Lord.
"He's on a snow tire, somewhere in North Dakota."
Today’s lessons simply didn’t allow for much humor but laughter is good for the soul. Now let us reflect on the Gospel reading.
Lepers lived in caves, out of which they crept like vampires, shielding themselves from the light, their heads hooded, their whole bodies hidden under tattered shrouds. The first sound was the tinkle of the bells they wore around their necks. As they approached others they would cry out, “Unclean! Unclean!” as they stretched out their hands for food—hands missing thumbs, missing fingers.
Leprosy was a dread but common affliction for the people of the Bible. So common, in fact, that lepers had a prescribed social role. And a religious one too.
The book of Leviticus spends two whole chapters teaching priests how to diagnose diseases of the skin, how to pronounce lepers ritually unclean, how to perform rites of purification should they be healed. As for the lepers: The one “who has the disease shall wear torn clothes and let the hair of his head hang loose, and he shall cover his lip and cry, ‘Unclean, unclean.’ He shall remain unclean as long as he has the disease; he is unclean; he shall dwell alone in a habitation outside the camp” (Lev. 13:45-46).
Leprosy was not seen, however, as a punishment for sin. It was understood, instead, as an inexplicable act of God, which made it even more frightening. If there was nothing you did to deserve leprosy; then it followed that there was nothing you could do to avoid it, and so lepers were shunned—because their disease was contagious, certainly. But it was more than that. It was their pain, their loneliness, their unspeakable fear no one wanted to catch, and so they were kept at a distance, barred from the religious community, and declared unworthy of God.
They were unclean outsiders, not to be mistaken as having anything in common with healthy insiders. Understand? They live over there, we live over here. We are not like them, God knows we feel sorry for them, but you have got to be sensible about these things.
None of this is challenged by the lepers themselves. They cannot work, after all, and so they depend upon the charity of the insiders for their livelihood. They dress as they are told, and speak as they are told, and do not cross over the line that has been drawn to separate them from those with unblemished skin. They are obedient.
Leprosy is caused by the Myobacterium leprae (or Hansen) bacillus. It destroys the peripheral nerves, leading to a loss of sensation in afflicted areas, which, together with tissue damage, may result in the extremities becoming deformed and eroded. However, symptoms may not become visible for 10, 15, or even 20 years.
There are two principal types of leprosy:
· Lepromatous (cutaneous) leprosy is caused by the absence of any cellular response to the bacillus. The bacilli are found in enormous numbers deep under the skin, and they spread widely through the skin's lymphatic system. It causes thickening and corrugation of the skin and a "lion-like" appearance. Soft nodules appear on the ears, nose, throat, and cheeks, and sometimes become open sores with discharge. The nose, in particular, is an ideal home for bacilli, which sometimes leads to destruction of the septum and palate.
· The second type of leprosy is called Tuberculoid (or common) leprosy. It is the most serious kind, and is ironically caused by an immediate response to the bacillus. In an attempt to seal off the bacilli cells crowd into the infected area. This causes hard nodules to form in the skin. Most commonly seen in the forearm and lower leg, this reaction causes "claw hands" and slack feet, but the face, eyes, and neck may also be affected. Perhaps most significantly, is the inability to feel pain. Large, decaying ulcers form on the limb, often causing the loss of digits that the disease has become infamous for. Sometimes amputation is required.
It is unknown precisely how the bacillus infects the human body; inhalation or skin-to-skin contacts are likely possibilities, though insects have also been suggested. Contrary to popular belief, however, leprosy is not easy to catch; rather, physical contact with an infected person must be frequent and/or long term.
Ever since antiquity, leprosy has been one of the most dreaded diseases in the world. It is believed to have originated in Egypt before 4000 BC, and traveled as far as India and China by the 5th century BC. Roman legions returning home from Egypt spread it to Italy in the 1st century BC, and its spread to Europe was hastened in the early Middle Ages by returning crusaders. Leprosy has always carried an immense social stigma. In Biblical times, victims wore torn garments, shouting "unclean, unclean" to warn passers-by. In similar fashion, most medieval cities passed laws forcing lepers to carry a bell to warn citizens of their approach. Beginning in the early 19th century, governments began segregating victims in "leper colonies," isolated places inhabited and in many cases run solely by lepers. Some of the most famous of these were Devil's Island, in French Guinea (home to the infamous penal colony), Molokai Island, in Hawaii (home to the legendary Father Damien, the "leper priest"), and the U. S. Public Health Service Hospital in Carville, Louisiana (which finally shut its gates in May 1999).
Leprosy knows no boundaries. Some pretty famous people have had leprosy: Paul Gauguin the famous 19th century artist, Robert the Bruce, 14th century King of Scotland, Baldwin IV, 12th century King of Jerusalem and Henry IV, from the 15th century and Henry VII from the 16th century, both kings of England.
But this story isn’t just about a significant debilitating disease that disfigures the body. Our inward attitudes disfigure our bodies as much as any disease. Facial deformities can be the result of an inward reaction to life. How we feel about our lives, the world in which we live and move and have our being, is reflected on our faces like a movie on a screen. Unlike lepers, we can choose how we want to look. We can choose to look happy or unhappy, mean or pleasant, bitter or kind, gentle or hard. People who are always complaining and finding fault with life—have unpleasant expressions on their faces and guess what? I find myself avoiding them like the plague.
People who criticize everyone and everything in their paths are people who are silently crying out, “Unclean! Unclean!” In other words, “avoid me, I am poison to happy and healthy lives.” Too bad. They are the ones who need us the most. But they become isolated because they are toxic to their environment.
It remains a medical mystery as to exactly how leprosy is transmitted. Earlier I said that leprosy is not easy to catch and that physical contact with an infected person must be frequent and/or long term. The same can be said about negative behavior. It isn’t learned all at once. It is practiced behavior. We choose to be who we are but with God’s help, we can choose to be different!
The leper approaches Jesus and Jesus sees the disfigured face, the twisted hands, and missing fingers and has compassion on this afflicted man. The man says, “If you choose, you can make me clean.” Jesus stretches out his hand and says, “I do choose.”
We bring our injured hearts, our damaged lives, our broken marriages, our anger, bitterness, hateful behavior, our gossip filled lives, estranged families, loneliness, grief filled hearts and show all this to Jesus and say, “If you choose, you can make us clean.” And Jesus, in his compassion does choose. He will make us clean! We can be made whole again by simply asking. All we have to do is ask and we, too, can be made clean.