By Anthony Jayaraj csc
Readings: 1 Jn 5: 5-13; Lk 5: 12-16
“The biggest disease today is not leprosy or tuberculosis, but rather the feeling of being unwanted.” This is one of the many quotes of Mother Teresa that disturbs me deeply. People across the globe have been developing the spirit to spend time in personal and community prayers through online platforms. Recently, I joined an online rosary group in France at Lourdes and felt that prayer transcends all boundaries. I pray for the personal intentions of people and also for those who are infected by Covid-19 virus.
However, in my prayer I dare not ask the Lord to touch and cleanse me from impurities of mind, thoughts, words, and actions. But today’s Gospel struck me with awe and consolation. A leper was considered an outcast, untouchable and disgraced by the elite society. In the present context, he could be a migrant, a refugee, a farmer, a Dalit, an activist jailed on false allegations, or a poor brother or sister of any religion.
Mother Teresa of Calcutta touched the mutilated faces and rotten legs of people on the street when no one bothered about them. I remember her motto, “Do small things with great love”, and she left a big impact on the lives of the destitute and outcasts. A profound realization hit me then; before the love and touch of God, no infirmity can confine anyone from experiencing freedom, the way, the truth, and the life that everyone is in search of. Will I be able to allow the Lord to touch me through the daily events of life and the struggles of ordinary people out there in the streets?