Modern Day Leper

"Unclean!  Unclean!".  In Biblical times, a man who had the socially stigmatic disease of leprosy would have to cry these words in public whenever approaching people or simply to move about town or his own village.  Each era in humanity's history would have its equivalent of these people, ones who were marked by some stigma pushing them into a permanent underclass.  Based largely upon ignorance or the unwillingness to understand these people, society has no qualms about alienating people who are marked for one's shunning.  Whether the issue is leprosy, AIDS, sex offenders, or the like, having the letter 'A' placed upon them (The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne) does nothing toward discharging the innate drive in our soul to love our fellow man.  As society is driven to become more polarized, each person looking out for only themselves, hierarchy and class distinctions become more delineated causing chasms separating every one from their neighbor.  How is this healthy or create a greater sense of community?  The answer begins with me.  Approaching these people demands caution and common sense, but doing so in a manner of compassion brings such issues to the sunlight of the Spirit.  (Whether this is the spirit of humanity or the very Spirit of God is the prerogative of the person taking action.)  True repentance and rehabilitation can only take place in the open.  Plants and animals grow and partake of sustenance in the light, as evil and degradation take place in damp and dark places where squalor and more depravation occur.  Certainly we don't ignore the person's behavior or take away the consequences of such, but I believe restoration is essential in a civilization already suffering from moral lapses and free-falling with no hope without the support and love of each one of us.  Must we continue pushing the modern-day leper to the outer fringe and still expect them to discontinue their course of action?  Until such ideas are in place and the community of fellow man passionately takes on a sense of compassion for others, I also must continue to cry, "Unclean!  Unclean!"

The Parable of the Good Samaritan
Luke 10:25-37 (NIV)

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Party on the Porch (Amon Carter Museum)

On Saturday, September 30th, I attended the annual Party on the Porch sponsored and hosted by the Amon Carter Museum.  I attended this function about twelve years ago with a friend and his family.  For whatever reason, the festivities fell off my radar till I saw a banner for it a few weeks prior.  Deciding it would be good for me to get out, even if it was alone, I requested a ticket and downloaded it to my phone.  The best part of the shin-dig was it's free of charge!  Yes, you read that correctly.  Both Party on the Porch and the Museum itself are funded by a perpetual trust established upon the death of Amon Carter himself.  (Take that, you other museums who charge an entrance fee!  Because of the lack of admission, I am able to frequent the art gallery as often as I can.)  Free parking for the event was available across the street at the surface lots of the Health Science Center.  (Another plus to showing up for the event.)  There were several people managing the entryway.  On
Read more

Seeking Closure!

Last week I was able to get away from the land of exile in order to visit and spend time with family.  Even though part of our plans for a trip to East Texas fell apart, I very much enjoyed spending three wonderful days with my mother in Yoakum.  During this time, as she still had to work her shifts at the church, I was able to scratch off quite a few items from the bucket list.  Many of these items have been on there for several years awaiting much-needed closure.  On top of the list, but really in no particular order, was to visit the Alchoholics Anonymous group in Victoria where I tried to get sober in 2004.  Even though I didn't recognize anyone in attendance, I did enjoy the time spent in fellowship.  Then a visit was made to Memory Gardens Cemetery where three acquaintances are interred.  One in particular, my friend Amy, was buried there in 2021.  Regretting not being able to attend her funeral services, I made every effort to locate her grave, along with the graves of her m
Read more

Reprieve from the War Front

** This is another letter from my father in Korea during the war of 1950-1953.  My intention in posting these letters is to capture the very personal side of war.  The letter is typed as written.  Any mistakes in grammar, punctuation, and etc. are intentional. 17-Oct-53 Dear Mom & Dad           I have just returned from a splendid seven days leave in Japan.  My seven days were filled with just about everything a person could want in a leave.  Steak, lobster, french fried potatoes, and onions, and many other fried foods.  The special service hotel at which I stayed is the most beautiful in Tokyo, Ga-Jo-En KANKO Hotel.  It is composed of three buildings connected by hallways, five stories high.  It has many facilities such as Grill, Bar, Cocktail Lounge, PX, Game Room, Barber Shop, Dining Room, Wrapping Service, and Dining Room, where meals are very cheap: 15 cent breakfast, 25 cent lunch, 45 cent supper.  The elevators of the Hotel are lined with mother-of-pearl formed into wa
Read more