“Unclean, unclean.” These words were shouted by those in the Bible who had the disease of leprosy, what is now called Hansen’s Disease. It is mentioned in the Bible 68 times, 15 in the New Testament and was often thought of as curse from God for sin. It is a highly infectious disease that affects the nervous system and causes disfigurement. One of the amazing effects of Hansen’s Disease is that the infected cannot feel pain, leading to lack of awareness of harm caused to the body.
St. Damien of Molokai dedicated his life to serving the leper colony on Molokai in the 19th century. The lepers of Molokai were shunned by the rest of society. St. Damien did what he could to return their sense of God-given dignity by his service. He persuaded another saint, St. Marianne Cope to bring her sisters to help minister to them. He buried many of his people, digging their graves himself. Eventually, he contracted Hansen’s Disease and had to stay as a member of his beloved community. He also died, and was buried on Molokai, where part of his body remains to this day.
When Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI canonized St. Damien he remarked: “He invites us to open our eyes to the forms of leprosy that disfigure the humanity of our brethren and still today call for the charity of our presence as servants, beyond that of our generosity." Who among us is disfigured and shunned? Is it the homeless, those with mental diseases or syndromes, the unborn, the poor, the marginalized? We need to hear the unheard cry of “Unclean, unclean” and minister to them.
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