We are all “lepers” in some way

Homily for October 9, 2016 (28th Sunday in Ordinary Time)
2 Kings 5:14-17; Psalm 98; 2 Timothy 2:8-13; Luke 17:11-19

This past week we celebrated the Memorial of St. Francis of Assisi, one of the most beloved saints of all time and the namesake of our current Pope.  (Because of his centrality to our own charism and vocations Capuchin friars and other Franciscans celebrate the day as a Solemnity.)  What has allowed this man of the 13th century to remain so popular eight centuries later? The most obvious thing is his love for nature, which is reflected in his beautiful Canticle of the Creatures.  Indeed, Pope Francis used words from that poem for the title of his 2015 encyclical on the environment, Laudato Si’.

Another reason that St. Francis maintains such a prominent place in the religious imagination is his dedication to serving those who are poor and otherwise on the margins of society.  It’s part of what drives so many people to entrust us with their time, talents and treasure to support ministries like Capuchin Community Services at the House of Peace and St. Ben’s in Milwaukee and the Capuchin Soup Kitchen in Detroit.  It’s good for us to remember, however, that Francis’ compassion and generosity toward those who were struggling or ostracized did not come to him easily.

In his Testament, the Poverello writes:  "The Lord gave me, Brother Francis, thus to begin doing penance in this way:  for when I was in sin, it seemed too bitter for me to see lepers.  And the Lord himself led me among them and I showed mercy to them.  And when I left them, what had seemed bitter to me was turned into sweetness of soul and body.  And afterword I delayed a little and left the world."

Our scripture readings for today’s Mass recount the grateful responses of two people cured of their leprosy—one by God working through Elisha the prophet and the other by God’s Son, Jesus.   Both Naaman the Aramean commander and the unnamed Samaritan man were considered foreigners or outsiders, yet the God of Israel healed them.  God’s goodness and compassion were not limited to those who professed God’s name or who subscribed to orthodoxies.   God’s love and God’s grace worked together.

As St. Francis showed many years later, we need “lepers” in our lives at least as much as they need us.  In a world marked by individualism, they draw us out of ourselves.  In a culture that is obsessed with wealth, youth and physical beauty, they remind us of our imperfection, weakness and mortality.  At a time when we are encouraged to build various kinds of walls to protect ourselves from those who are different or whose basic human needs demand a response from us, the Lord instead leads us among them as brothers and sisters and asks us to show mercy to them as surely as he has to each of us. 

We’re all sinners, so we are all “lepers” in some way; and we are called to be Christ in some way, too.  It is through us that the Lord reveals his grace and saving power. +