What is our leprosy?

"A leper came to Jesus and kneeling down begged him and said, 'If you wish, you can make me clean.'"
Mark 1:40

This was yesterday's gospel, but our homily asked such a compelling question, I'm still thinking about it today. The question was, "What is our leprosy today?" I took it to mean what do we shun or run from or 'tsk, tsk' when we we see it? What is "unclean" to us, as the lepers used to have to shout to others as they approached? What do we separate ourselves from? Community is so critical to our well-being, isn't it? A sense of belonging and feeling a part of a group are important. That is the enticement of gangs and why solitary confinement is such punishment. We need a sense of belonging and acceptance. The lepers of the Jesus' day were set apart and cut off from society completely and Jesus gave this leper the healing he needed to come back to his community. So the question...what is our leprosy? What separates us from others and keeps us on the fringe? What keeps us from accepting others? What keeps us gossiping about others and making harsh judgments of others? Whatever our leprosy is, Jesus can heal us. Love, heidi