Sunday Musings: We All Have Leprosy

In today’s Gospel, Jesus cleanses 10 lepers. Nine of them run off excitedly, but one comes back and falls at Jesus’ feet to thank Him. The moral of the story focuses on the nine ingrates and how important it is to be thankful for what we’re given. But there’s a secondary story that’s also important: recognizing that we’ve all got a kind of leprosy from which we seek relief.

It might be addiction, anger, jealousy or another “affliction” that keeps us from being truly happy. Whether we see those as sins in a religious sense or negative traits in a secular one, they nonetheless negatively impact our daily lives.

Wouldn’t it be wonderfully simple if someone approached us and wiped away our afflictions? No more problems, just happy times. But just like the cleansed lepers certainly discovered, being relieved of a disease doesn’t mean life will be easy the rest of the way.

It’s a continual process of recognizing obstacles and doing our best to overcome them. The hardest part might be considering this a welcoming challenge instead of an abysmal chore. That’s something to work on for this week and the weeks to come.