THE LORD SAID TO MOSES, THIS IS THE LAW FOR THE VICTIMS OF LEPROSY AT THE TIME OF HIS PURIFICATION; HE SHALL BE BROUGHT TO THE PRIEST, WHO IS TO GO OUTSIDE THE CAMP, THILE JESUS WAS IN ONE OF THE TOWNS, A MAN CAME ALONG WHO WAS COVERED IN WITH LEPROSY. WHEN HE SAW JESUS, HE FELL WITH HIS FACE TO THE GROUND AND BEGGED HIM, ' LORD IF YOU ARE WILLING, YOU CAN MAKE ME CLEAN." JESUS REACHED OUT HIS HAND AND TOUCHED HIM. " I AM WILLING," HE SAID. " BE CLEAN!" AND IMMEDIATELY THE LEPROSY LEFT HIM.
THEN JESUS ORDERED HIM, "DON'T TELL ANYONE, BUT GO AND SHOW YOURSELF TO A "PRIEST" AND OFFER THE SACRIFICES THAT MOSES COMMANDED FOR YOUR CLEANSING. THE RITUAL FOR THE CLEANSING OF THE LEPER IS GIVEN IN DETAIL AND IS QUITE ELABORATE. IN SOME REAPECTS IT RESEMBLES THE CONSECREATION OF THE PRIESTS. AND THE RITUAL FOR THE DAY OF ATONEMENT. IT COVERS A PERIOD OF SEVEN DAYS, WITH SPECIAL RITES ON THE FIRST AND EIGHTH. CLEANSING IS SPECIALLY STRESSED AND THIS INVOLVES SHAVING OF THE HAIR. HYSSOP IS USED AT THE PASSOVER (EX.12:22)., TOGETHER WITH CEDAR WOOD AND SCARLET WHICH ARE ALSO USED IN MAKING THE WATER OF PURIFICATION. THE RELEASING OF ONE OF THE BIRDS into the open field, SUGGESTS THE SENDING AWAY OF SCAPEGOAT. (16: 21).
YET THE NEWS ABOUT JESUS SPREAD ALL THE MORE, SO THAT CROWDS OF PEOPLE CAME TO HEAR HIM AND TO BE HEALED OF THEIR SICKNESSES. BUT JESUS OFTEN WITHDREW TO LONELY PLACES AND PRAYED. MAY PEOPLE SUFFER FROM SEASONAL AFFECTIVE DISORDER (SAD), A FORM OF DEPRESSION THAT COMMONLY HITS PEOPLE IN THE WINTER. EACH YEAR, AS THE SEASON CANOPY OF GREY CLOUDS COVERS THIS PART OF THE COUNTRY, PEOPLE WHO SUFFER FROM (SAD). CHANGES. PEOPLE WHO OTHERWISE HAVE A VERY SUCCESSFUL CAREER, THROUGH (SAD) LLOSES THEIR CONFIDENCE IN THEIR ABILITIES. NO MATTER HOW FIT AN ATHLETE, THEY BECOME LETHARGIC. IN SPITE OF BEING HAPPYILY MARRIED AND HAVING A LOVING FAMILY, THEY FEEL LONELY. WHY DO I MENTION THIS. BECAUSE THIS MESSAGE SPEAKS OF THE LONELIEST PEOPLE IN THE TIME OF JESUS WAS THE "LEPERS."
THEY HAD TO LIVE OUTSIDE THE COMMUNITY, THEY WERE DRESSED IN RAGS, WHEN THEY WALKED ANYWHERE, THEY HAD TO WALKED IN THE MIDDLE OF THE ROAD, RINGING A LITTLE BELL, WHICH WARNED PEOPLE THEY WERE COMING, IF THEY STARTED TO GET CLOSE TO THE TOWNS PEOPLE, THE PEOPLE WOULD THROW STONES AT THEM CAUSING THEM TO GET BACK TO THE MIDDLE OF THE ROAD.
THEY WERE NOT WELCOME ANYWHERE, THEY NEVER HAD A PERSONAL CONTACT WITH THEIR FAMILY OR ANY ONE ELSE WHO WAS NOT A LEPER. THERE WASN'T ANYONE WHO WAS LONELIER OR WHO HAD TO LIVE IN CONSTANT DEPRESSION, UNTIL JESUS CAME ALONG. WETHER OR NOT WE SUFFER FROM DEPRESSION, WE ALL FEEL LONELY AT TIMES. LONELINESS CAN EMERGE THROUGH A LACK OF MEANINGFUL FRIENDSHIPS, ALIENATION BY A PERSON OR GROUP, THE BREAK-UP OF A MARRIAGE, OR RELATIONSHIP, THE LOSS OF A LOVED ONE, MOVING FROM A FAMILIAR PLACE. LONELINESS IS MORE THAN SIMPLY DESIRING COMPANIONSHIP; IT'S THE EXPERIENCE OF FEELING PROFOUND EMPTINESS EVEN IN THE MIDST OF LOVED ONES. LONELINESSS, PARADOXICALLY, OCCURS MOST OFTEN IN HEAVILY POPULATED CITIES.TODAY ONE IN FIVE AMERICANS REPORTS FEELING LONELY MUCH OF THE TIME. IN ADDITION TO CAUSING FEELINGS OF UNHAPPINESS, LONELINESS, LEADS TO HIGH PRESSURE AND SUCH ISSUES AS IMPAIRED SLEEP, A WEAKENED IMMUNE SYSTEM, ALCOHOLISM, AND SUICIDE.
NATURALLY, WE FEAR LONELINESS BECAUSE OF HOW IT MAKES US FEEL, PHYSICALLY, EMOTIONALLY, AND SPIRITUALLY.
THERE IS, HOWEVER, ANOTHER WAY TO GET THROUGH LIFE: LEARNING HOW TO BE ALONE. PSYCHOLOGISTS MAKE A GOOD LIVING TEACHING US THAT IF WE CAN LEARN TO BE TRULY INTIMATE WITH OURSELVES, THEN WE ARE NEVER REALLY ALONE. BY FACING THE COMPLETE PICTURE OF WHO WE OUR, WOUNDS AND ALL, AND LEARNING TO LOVE OURSELVES, WE CEASE TO RELY ON OTHERS FOR OUR-SELF WORTH OR TO SEEK DISTRACTIONS TO STAVE OFF FEELINGS OF LONELINESS. THE CHRISTIAN TRADITION TAKES A DIFFERENT APPROACH. RATHER THAN SIMPLY TEACH US HOW TO BE ALONE WITH OURSELVES, CHRISTIANITY, GOD AND ULTIMATELY, OUR PURPOSE. IN SOLITUDE, WE DISCOVER THAT WE ARE NEVER ALONE BECAUSE GOD IS ALWAYS WITH US.
THROUGH OUT HIS LIFE, JESUS EXPERIENCED PROFOUND LONELINESS.
AS MOTHER TERESA EXPLAINS: WHEN CHRIST SAID:" I WAS HUNGRY AND YOU FED ME, HE DIDN'T MEAN ONLY HUNGER FOR BREAD AND FOR FOOD, HE ALSO MEANT THE HUNGER TO BE LOVED. JESUS HIMSELF EXPERIENCED THIS LONELINESS. HE CAME AMONGST HIS OWN AND HIS OWN RECIEVED HIM NOT, IT HURT HIM THEN AND IT HAS KEPT ON HURTING HIM. THE SAME HUNGER, THE SAME LONELINESS, THE SAME HAVING NO ONE TO BE ACCEPTED BY AND TO BE LOVED AND WANTED BY. EVERY HUMAN BEING IN THAT CASE RESEMBLES CHRIST IN HIS LONELINESS AND THAT IS THE HARDEST PART, THAT'S REAL HUNGER. THE GOOD NEWS IS THAT IF WE RESEMBLE CHRIST IN HIS HUNGER FOR LOVE AND PAIN IN LONELINESS, WE ALSO RESEMBLE HIM IN HIS ABILITY TO EMBRACE SOLITUDE AS A NECESSARY PATH TO CONNECTING TO GOD AND UNDERSTANDING OUR PURPOSE ON EARTH.
MATTHEW'S GOSPEL TELLS US THAT BEFORE HE BEGAN HIS PUBLIC MINISTRY JESUS SPENT FORTY DAYS IN THE DESERT ALONE. MANY TIMES THROUGH OUT HIS MINISTRY " HE SPENT THE NIGHT ALONE," WITHDREW TO A LONELY PLACE, WENT UP TO THE HILLS BY HIMSELF," AND' WITHDREW TO THE WILDERNESS TO PRAY. AS A YOUTH, HE SPENT HOURS IN SILENCE AND SOLITUDE AND STUDYING THE TORAH AND TRYING TO UNDERSTAND WHO HE WAS AND WHAT HE WAS SUPPOSED TO DO WITH HIS LIFE. WE CAN IMAGINE HIM LEARNING THE CRAFT OF CARPENTRY FROM HIS EARTHLY FATHER, JOSEPH, AND PONDERING HIS LIFE IN SOLITUDE AS HE TRANSFORMED TREES INTO DOORS, TABLES AND CHAIRS. OR WALKING GREAT DISTANCES TO ATTEND SYNAGOGUE OR RETRIEVE WATER AND FOOD FOR THE HOUSEHOLD.
ON THE HIGHT HE WAS BETRAYED BY JUDAS AND TAKEN INTO CUSTODY, JESUS WENT WITH THREE OF HIS DISCIPLES TO THE GARDEN OF GETHSEMANE TO PRAY IN SOLITUDE. HE INSTRUCTED HIS COMPANIONS, "SIT HERE WHILE I GO OVER THERE AND PRAY." " THEN HE SAID TO THEM," I AM DEEPLY GRIEVED, EVEN TO DEATH: REMAIN HERE, AND STAY AWAKE WITH ME." AFTER GOING A LITTLE FARTHER AWAY FROM HIS FRIENDS, HE THREW HIMSELF TO THE GROUND AND PRAYED.
MY FATHER, IF IT IS POSSIBLE, "LET THIS CUP PASS FROM ME."
IN HIS SOLITUDE, HE WAS ABLE TO BE MOST GENUINELY HIMSELF- A HUMAN BEING AFRAID OF DEATH. HE WAS ABLE TO PRAY, TO PLEAD WITH THE FATHER TO LET HIM LIVE. BUT MORE IMPORTANT, IN HIS SOLITUDE JESUS WAS ABLE TO TRUST GOD TO THE POINT THAT HE COULD PRAY IN THE VERY NEXT BREATH, "YET NOT WHAT I WANT BUT WHAT YOU WANT." THREE TIMES HE RETURNED TO HIS DISCIPLES AND FOUND THEM SLEEPING INSTEAD OF KEEPING WATCH. AND THREE TIMES, HE WENT ALONE AND PRAYED, " MY FATHER, IF THIS CUP CANNOT PASS UNLESS I DRINK IT, YOUR WILL BE DONE." AFTER THE THIRD PERIOD OF INTENSE PRAYER, JESUS RETURNED TO HIS FRIENDS AND SAID, " GET UP, LET US BE GOING. IN HIS SOLITUDE JESUS ACCEPTED HIS MISSION TO TEACH THE GOOD NEWS THAT WE ARE NEVER ALONE, THAT LOVE IS THE MEANING OF LIFE, AND DEATH IS NOT THE END. ' LONELINESS IS INNER EMPTINESS. SOLITUDE IS INNER FULFILLMENT. " IN SOLITUDE, AS HENRI NOUWEN OBSERVED, WE HEAR THE VOICE OF THE ONE WHO SAYS, " YOU ARE MY BELOVED." FOR JESUS, LISTENING TO THIS VOICE ALLOWED HIM TO BE WHO HE WAS MEANT TO BE, EVEN WHEN HE WAS REJECTED AND SCORNED AND CRUCIFIED. KNOWING HE WAS GOD'S BELOVED ALLOWED HIM TO MOVE OUT FROM HIS INTERIOR SELF TO BE IN COMMUNITY WITH HIS DISCIPLES AND THOSE ON THE MARGINS, AND TO MINISTER TO THOSE IN NEED. BY LEARNING TO PRACTICE SOLITUDE, WE GROWN IN OUR OWN FAITH AND LEARN TO DO THE SAME.
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