HAVE YOU EVER SUFFERED STIGMATIZATION AND EXCLUSION?

February 11 is celebrated as World Day of the Sick, an annual observation introduced by Pope John Paul II as a way for believers to offer prayers for the sick. The objective of this celebration is to promote kindness and solidarity towards those suffering due to illness. This celebration serves as a reminder of providing physical, emotional and spiritual support to individuals facing health challenges, especially those with terminal diseases who are stigmatized and marginalized. Coincidentally, the liturgy of today questions our relationship with the sick and how we tend to exclude them due to their illness.

The book of Leviticus chapter 11-15 deals with the laws of purity and impurity. Put differently, the clean and unclean. In the first reading of today, we have the laws regarding leprosy of the skin and how such persons should be treated. It was the job of the Levitical priest to examine the skin of the potential disease area. In this sense, the priest serves as the public health officer and he diagnoses the disease carefully. Once the patient is certified impure or unclean by the priest, “The leper shall wear torn clothes and the hair of his head hang loose” (Lev 13:45). This is a state of perpetual mourning and a state of public disgrace. He shall cry, ‘Unclean, unclean’ and shall remain unclean as long as he has the disease, indicating a perpetual state of exclusion or isolation. The law forbids them to mingle with others in order not to transmit their leprosy.

Many Jews thought two things about the lepers: first, as a walking corps and second, as punishment for their sins. In view of the theology of retribution, leprosy signifies a recompense for an evil committed. In fact, the Jewish custom forbids you to greet a leper and you must stay two meters away from them, of which we can say is the biblical foundation of social distance. According to the Jewish religious and traditional belief, leprosy was greatly associated with sin and this theology of retribution speaks of immediate consequence of ones sins here on earth, having no knowledge of heavenly reward nor hell. In such illness, the patient becomes an automatic outcast who must be banished from the society.

Some of us are worse than the Jewish people as regards the acceptance and treatment we give to those with symptoms of transmitted or terminal diseases. We can imagine the stigma that comes with deadly disease from family, friends and the society. We recall the era of coronavirus, where some could not peacefully sneeze or cough as usual, so that people do not stigmatize them as victims of the virus. In some cases, exclusion from the society and stigma kills faster than the disease/virus itself. Theologically and importantly, we have a superior illness that kills faster than any of the above diseases or virus and this illness is sin of which we all need Christ to cure us. According to Fr. Njoku Chukwuemeka, CSSp, “Through sin, we are all outcast, but through the mercy of God and Christ’s action of grace, we are restored.”

Christ in today’s Gospel was different in his relationship with the leper. The leper that came begging and kneeling before him said, “If you will, you can make me clean” (Mk 1:40). In response, Christ was moved with pity, stretched out his hands and touched him, “I will; be clean” (v.41). Christ did the unimaginable thing; he went as far as doing something forbidden by the Levitical law just to save the leper, and to include him in the salvation plan of God, so that the Jews will have a better understanding of the laws. He did this simply because he is the fulfilment of the law and the law does not supercede the grace and mercy of God. Contrary to the Levitical priest who expresses the theology of retribution by announcing the banishment of the leper from the society, Christ’s words and action to the leper on the other hand speaks more of mercy and love for those he has come to save.

This is exactly the exultation of St. Paul in the second reading, “Whatever you do, do it to the glory of God… not seeking my own advantage but that of many, that they may be saved. Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ” (1Cor 10:31;11:1). Christ intention was never to exclude anyone, but that all may be saved. As a model for us all, he drew close to the hopeless, those with deadly diseases, the abandoned, the outcast; the excluded in the society and most importantly, he identified with sinners. Can we truly be imitators of Christ? If we claim to, how often do we exclude others in our midst? Do we exclude people because of their diseases or sickness? Do we exclude people because of poverty? Do we exclude people because they do not belong to our ‘class of persons’? Do we exclude people academically? Not having IQ like us? What and where are the areas we do exclude others? We are urged to be imitators of Christ, not to exclude but include.  

Dear friends, as Christ has taught us through his action and words towards the leper that speaks loudly, we must reexamine our approaches to the sick around us if it is conformable to the teachings of Christ. No doubt, it is necessary to keep ourselves and others safe, but let not the fear of leprosy or viruses take away the love and mercy of God  from us, else we will treat others like outcasts or banish them from the society. The more we stigmatize people, the quicker we sentence them to death. Lastly, in guilt was I conceived said David (Psalm 51:5), so neither you nor I are free from the worse illness which is sin, represented by leprosy in today’s liturgy. Hence, it is important we give meters away from sin and call on Christ like the leper to heal us and heal our land saying, “Lord, if you will, you can make us clean!” Christ was moved with pity, he stretched out his hand and touched him. This action of Christ gives to us a clue of the vital role of healthcare workers and caregivers in expressing love and compassion towards the sick, and by extension, what is expected of us. May the good Lord extend his healing hands to many that are sick physically or spiritually through Christ our Lord. Amen!

Happy Sunday!

Fr. Ken Dogbo, OSJ