There’s an old joke about three men begging for alms in a town where Jesus was preaching. The first one called out to Jesus, “Teacher, have pity and heal me!” Jesus responded, “You are healed.” The second called out, “Teacher, have pity and heal me!” Jesus responded, “You are healed.” The third man remained silent. Jesus asked, “My son, what can I do for you?” The man responded, “Keep your distance, Teacher. This is a good gig, and I don’t want to lose my income!” 

Interestingly, a survey done recently by the Pew Research Center indicated that Americans’ opinions about God’s culpability for suffering and tragedy are split according to approximately the same percentages as the differences between the requests of the three men in the joke. 

According to the Pew Research poll, about two-thirds of Americans feel sorrow when they hear about tragedy or suffering; the same percentage say their faith in God is not shaken by occurrences of tragedy.* 

The healing story in today’s Gospel reading can help us understand why some people trust in God despite suffering while others lose their trust in God. This healing story might sound like it addresses the issue of physical illness, but it is instead a story about the structure of faith. It describes faith as dialogical in its nature and effects. 

The man healed in this Gospel story is described as a “leper.” It is important to note that this Gospel passage does not refer to the disease known today as leprosy.  In the Scriptures, the term leprosy referred to a wide variety of physical abnormalities.  In ancient Hebrew culture, it was not only people who suffered from leprosy; the wall of a house or a piece of clothing could be considered leprous, as well. The man’s illness was considered to be a spiritual defect rather than a medical ailment. 

People with leprosy were required to keep their distance from other people, not because of concern about contagion, but because of a concern about ritual purity, that is, their capacity to engage in social interaction and public worship.  

The leper in today’s Gospel reading seems to have been hopeful in his suffering.  He didn’t hesitate to come to Jesus and make a request.  His hopeful attitude might explain his exuberant reaction upon being healed.  

The leper recognized his marginalized status.  He neither denied his suffering nor harbored resentment; instead, he asked Jesus for mercy.  Jesus responded by healing the man but, in the process of doing so, Jesus incurred ritual impurity on himself by touching a leper.  It is important to note that the leper was made clean, but Jesus was made unclean by the interaction. Faith, then, is dialogical – as represented by the man’s request and Jesus’ sacrificial response. 

It is fair to say, I think, that all suffering can be an opportunity to trust in God, and all relief from suffering can be an opportunity for the same. 

Those who remain faithful in the midst of personal suffering, or when witnessing other people’s suffering, are people who manage to remain in dialogue with God regardless of the circumstances.  Conversely, those who experience loss of faith due to suffering are people who are unable to remain in dialogue with God.  The weak point in the relationship that binds one to God is neither the quality of one’s prayers not God’s attentiveness to one’s prayers, but one’s persistence in listening to God. 

Perhaps, you can recall times when you have felt abandoned by God or times when you have thought other people have been abandoned by God.  What really happened in those events?  Both you and God were present.  If one did not abandon the other, what really happened?  I propose that what is missing when one feels abandoned by God is neither oneself nor God; rather, the missing element is dialogue.  The experience of feeling abandoned by God is the result of not remaining engaged in the dialogue of faith; it is the consequence of ceasing to listen to God’s response to our prayers. 

In this healing story in today’s Gospel reading, the man’s faith was expressed in his dialogue with Jesus.  In like manner, Jesus’ faithfulness to his mission was expressed in his dialogue with the leper whom he healed. The miracle was the result of faith in both the man and Jesus, although faith played a different role in each person. 

The traditional Catholic definition of faith as intellectual assent to revealed truth is too easily misunderstood as a passive stance of waiting for divine initiative. The “intellectual assent” of faith occurs only as the result of on-going discernment of God’s will, lifelong appropriation of divinely revealed truth, and the daily work of sustaining virtuous habits. 

The leper’s connection to society was curtailed by his physical condition, but his connection to God was not weakened. He received the healing and restoration to normalcy he desired because he was willing both to speak about his needs and to listen for Jesus’ response. The leper presents an object lesson for us – the limitations placed on us by the physical world are not limitations to our relationship with God, unless we choose to be so limited. 

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*“Few Americans Blame God or Say Faith Has Been Shaken Amid Pandemic, Other Tragedies,” https://www.pewresearch.org, (November 23, 2021).