From the Friars: The Messianic Secret

Cooties are a strange phenomenon. The Webster’s Dictionary defines ‘cooties’ as “an imaginary contagious disease thought of especially as being passed between boys and girls”. Speaking from personal experience, it seems that every boy around the age of six or seven is deathly afraid of touching a girl. And why, exactly? Cooties! (This fictitious disease does not seem to exist in other cultures, such as the Hispanic culture). This irrational fear does not go away until the mystery of adolescence begins. Then proper attractions toward members of the opposite sex and well-ordered desires becomes the goal and preoccupy the “driver’s seat” in young men’s minds. Once “healed”, young men afterward cannot stop talking about women!

In today’s Gospel, Jesus touches a man with leprosy. Unlike cooties, leprosy was anything but fictitious! Leprosy was a contagious and infectious skin disease that rendered someone in the ancient world “unclean”. It was thought to contaminate clothes, homes, or anything which was touched by the leper. It cut off a person off not only from ritual worship but society as well, in ancient Israel. This physical phenomenon which also carried grave spiritual consequences was said by St. Augustine to be an image or symbol of ‘mortal sin’. Only the Levitical priest in the Temple could declare one “cleansed” from leprosy, after which one was welcomed back into full communion with the worship of Israel. In the New Testament, the Catholic priest is the one to whom we must present ourselves to be cleansed of our sins in the Sacrament of Confession.

Yet, the leper is commanded by Jesus, to remain silent about his healing. Jesus was not afraid to touch the leper, but He is afraid of being revealed too soon! Scholars call this the “Messianic Secret” by which Jesus wished to conceal His identity for fear of being misunderstood as some political leader or miracle worker. The true miracle is that Jesus can touch the leper and not become contaminated, Himself. His saving message remains the same today. It simply cannot be kept silent. Jesus is not afraid of our sins, indeed He has saved us by taking our sins upon Himself. Thus, Christ’s Sacrifice on the Cross is the mystery that transforms our ‘spiritual leprosy’ (“cooties”, if you will) into the glory of our redemption. Sin is redeemed! Men and women are redeemed!

Let us never keep silent of these wonders of Christ Who longs to touch and heal our lives in the Sacrament of Confession.

–Fr. Francis, FPO