The TOUCH is what matters

Friday, January 13, 2017

Well, I got the Gospel passages reversed. Yesterday I wrote about today’s Gospel, and so today I’m going to comment on yesterday’s passage about the healing of the leper (Mark 1:40-45). Mark’s Gospel is known for its economy of words, and here we have a perfect example, so simple and yet so intense that it glistens like a rare jewel:

The leper begs: “If you wish, you can make me clean.”

Jesus’ response: “I do will it. Be made clean.”

There is more detail than that, but the simplicity of the Question and Response makes it possible for us to memorize it easily and use it in our own prayer, especially on days when, for one reason or another, we are feeling unclean or isolated or lonely.

One vitally important detail: Jesus stretches out his hand and touches him. Now Jesus could have healed the leper with a simple word or even just a glance. The touch wasn’t necessary. But in this detail, Mark underscores in a beautiful way the absolute reality of the Incarnation: Our God became a human being. And very often, human beings heal one another through touch. There was certainly a miraculous dimension to this healing story, but in addition to that there was a profoundly human detail. And, of course, we realize that Jesus broke an important societal taboo by touching the leper; a taboo based in fear because leprosy was so contagious. In touching the leper, Jesus took his condition onto himself, and the time would come when Jesus would be called unclean, ungodly, blasphemer, and was subjected to lonliness (even His disciples ran from Him) isolation and dejection. What could possibly be more isolating than to hang naked on a cross in agony.

Through his Cross, Jesus also took our own condition onto himself, and all the sinfulness, senselessness and darkness of our own lives is absorbed, or taken up onto that cross and then brought through death to new life and resurrection.

And we must never forget that Jesus touches us. He touches us through the sacraments, most of which involve some element of human touch; He touches us through the ministry and kindness of others; He touches us “from the inside out” in the Eucharist; He touches us when, like the leper, we are overcome with our unworthiness and yet still urged on by our faith and our hope.

Jesus told the leper to keep quiet about it, but let’s be realistic here: how could he? And how can we keep quiet about it as well?

God bless you! Have a nice weekend.