Twenty-eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time

 Lectionary 144

As he was entering a village, ten lepers met him.
They stood at a distance from him and raised their voices, saying,
"Jesus, Master! Have pity on us!"
And when he saw them, he said,
"Go show yourselves to the priests."
As they were going they were cleansed.

In his letter to the Colossians Saint Paul called his friend and colleague, Saint Luke, “the beloved physician.” Today’s story of the healing of lepers is typical of the Physician’s two books. The Gospel of Saint Luke and the Acts of the Apostles contain many stories of exorcisms, cures, and miraculous healings. They began with the Lord’s ministry in Nazareth; and continued as he journeyed to Jerusalem. More than his walking on water or feeding five thousand in the desert, the Lord’s authority to cast out demons, restore hearing to the deaf, sight to the blind, ability to the disabled, health to the sick, and life to the dead – this miraculous, wonderful power drew tens of thousands of people to Jesus. They wanted to see him, hear him, and be touched by him. After his ascension into heaven, Saint Luke’s sequel The Acts of the Apostles tells us that his disciples immediately resumed the same wonderful work. There was no announcement of the Gospel without cures, healings, and exorcisms. The same Holy Spirit that had worked through Jesus energized and authorized the Church wherever they went. Like Jesus we announce the Kingdom of God, invite sinners to repentance, and heal the sick. As we read Saint Luke’s books it becomes clear that the Church cannot be church unless we care for the sick and dying. Grace builds on nature, and the power of the Holy Spirit must do wonderful things for our natural bodies, as well as our souls. Human beings care for one another. We are the exception to Darwin’s principle of survival of the fittest. There would be no human race if we did not care for the least fit among us. We cannot bear to watch suffering without making some effort to relieve that distress. Because medieval monks and nuns learned how to care for one another, and would not turn away the sick, their monasteries offered healing to local residents and travelling strangers. During the terrible plagues that have always afflicted human society, medieval monks and nuns often died as they left their secure isolation to care for victims of the epidemic. Because we believe in the resurrection of the body, we build hospitals wherever we go; and train doctors and nurses in our medical schools. However, when science recently appeared as an alternative to religion, many people supposed the Church should back away from caring for the sick, and let the scientists do it. Although the word doctor means teacher, we turn to our teaching, scientific doctors for treatment. They say, “You don’t go to a priest when you break your leg.” and “You can’t pray your way out of alcoholism or depression.” You need good advice from a doctor; faith alone won't do it. There’s no denying that modern science has improved the quality of human life beyond all expectations. Life expectancy in the United States in 1900 was 47 years; in 1948, when I was born, 67 years; and today it is 79 years. Medical science has developed ways not only to give us longer lives but make human life less painful and more enjoyable.

But the separation of religion and care for the sick has also led to some truly bizarre practices. Some practitioners tell boys they can become girls; and girls, boys. Some respected quacks say human beings should live forever with a healthy diet and proper hygiene. Without the guiding principles of good religion, medical care goes off the rails. Abortion, the American Medical Association suddenly, unexpectedly discovered in 1970 is “medical care,” and not a crime against human nature. Physician-assisted suicide is supposed to be an easier and dignified way to die, although the dead cannot return tell us of their experience. It may hurt a lot; no one knows. Without the Spirit of Christ, scientific medicine also provides vasectomies, artificial insemination, and surrogate motherhood although none of these procedures make the human body healthier. And now, since Roe v Wade in 1973, we have watched secularized medicine fall prey to ideologies, partisan politics, and government control. The Church's compassion for confused, anxious, and suffering human beings is unwelcome and our warnings sound like the strident voice of Saint John in the wilderness. However, secularized medicine has a fatal, familiar blind spot. Doctors do not name a disease until they have a cure for it. If there’s no cure, there’s no disease. “It’s all in your head, or something.” If you watch the ads in the evening news, you’ll notice whenever they create a new medicine, they create a new disease that it’s supposed to cure. But there is a very common disease that secular medicine cannot name, and will never recognize; and that affliction is called sin. The Church knows all about sin; we recognize, and have authority to deal with it. Without religious faith, secular medicine can only say: forget about it; don’t feel guilty; don’t feel ashamed; don’t feel responsible; don’t feel anything! It’s not your fault; you couldn’t help it; everybody does it and why shouldn’t you? Just act like it never happened. Or maybe try to think that maybe evil is actually good. Maybe. When you go to confession, the priest does not say, “Don’t feel guilty!” or, “Don’t be ashamed.” He says, “I absolve you from your sins!” When Jesus forgave sins he also healed their bodies; because forgiveness and healing go together, just as sin, sickness, and death go together. The Bible knows that, and so do we. The Church cannot, and must never, quit caring for the sick, injured, disabled, and dying sinners. Complete medical care, as Jesus offered to friends and strangers, Jews and gentiles, must include the forgiveness of sins. I knew a woman who needed bypass surgery at the Cleveland Clinic. But the surgeons refused to operate on her; they would not use this new technique when the patient was so anxious; and her blood pressure, through the roof. She came to me and I heard her confession. Three days later they operated and she did just fine. The quacks who think human beings should live forever are right, but it won’t happen with proper hygiene and a healthy diet. When we hear the gospel, confess and atone for our sins, and turn to the Lord through the sacraments of Baptism, Eucharist, and Confession, he fulfills the promise that is built into our human nature. With proper care of the body, soul, and mind we live forever in a holy communion with all the saints, and the Blessed Assurance of God’s love.