Family, Community, Participation
From today’s Scripture: “[Ten lepers] stood at a distance from him and raised their voices, saying, ‘Jesus, Master! Have pity on us!’”—Lk 17:12-13
I can’t read this Scripture without thinking of the COVID epidemic, and, further back, the AIDS crisis. As in those awful experiences, leprosy causes the afflicted to suffer isolation, separated or ostracized from family and society. Another contemporary example is addiction, which is always a disease of isolation.
Our Catholic tradition teaches that the human person is social by nature, and that individuals grow in community. Jesus not only heals the lepers, but restores them to community, where they can flourish. He does that for us, too—through his Church.
Let us pray: Lord, help me to reach out to those who are experiencing isolation.
Today’s author is Polly Duncan Collum, one-time parish-lay-missioner and now director of the Glenmary’s Commission for Justice, Peace and Integrity of Creation.
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