內在的癩病 Interior Leprosy

內在的癩病（路5:12-16）

在窮人之中，癩病人最悽慘。
第一，在宗教上，以色列人認識到癩病是天主施行的懲罰之一，例如：梅瑟的姊姊，女先知米黎盎，因為公開反對梅瑟娶了雇士女人為妻，便被天主懲罰了（戶12:1, 10）；猶大王阿匝黎雅（烏齊雅）雖然行了上主視為正義的事，但因為沒有廢除高丘，人民仍在高丘上焚香獻祭，結果天主以癩病打擊他，直到他死的那一天，獨自住在一所王宮裡（列下15:3-5）。這樣，便形成了對癩病人根深蒂固的歧視。

第二，在病理上，癩病是真菌感染，但被誤會為傳染性高；在發明盤尼西林之前，沒有根治方法。所以在社交上，癩病人要被隔離。阿匝黎雅王比較幸運，在王宮裡隔離，不愁供給；但一般的癩病人，祇能在城市村落之外行乞渡日。所以，即使是富有的癩病人，都會感到被天主懲罰，被同胞排斥，非常孤獨，何況是貧窮的癩病人哩！

一般貧窮的人，可以安貧樂道，自得其樂。但貧窮的癩病人，受著身心靈之苦，在貧窮人之中，的確是最悽慘的。外在的癩病可見，病人便有求醫的意識。但內在的癩病又如何呢？

「七罪宗」有如癩病，傷害著人的靈性！對財富與權勢的貪婪，使人的心靈硬化，麻痺了它的感覺，不曉得罪惡有如真菌，正在不知不覺地侵蝕著靈魂和人性；嫉妒驅使人行兇；憤怒使人失控；驕傲使人諱疾忌醫，阻礙著人尋求天主的寬恕；怠惰讓人失去鬥志；色慾令人乏力…另一方面，孤獨與被拒絕的感覺，逐漸形成一層厚厚的外殻與牢固的圍牆，以至呼天不應，叫地不聞，斷絕了向外求救的渠道…實在太危險，太可怕了！人又怎能自救呢？
主啊！祢若願意，就潔淨我罷。亞孟。
生命恩泉
圖片鳴謝：wikipedia

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Interior Leprosy (Luke 5:12-16)

Among the poor, lepers were the most pitiful.
First of all, Israelites believed that leprosy was one of God’s punishments. For example, the sister of Moses, Miriam the prophetess, who spoke against Moses on the pretext of the Cushite woman he had married, was punished by God with leprosy (Numbers 12:1, 10). Although Azariah/Uzziah, king of Judah did what was right in the Lord’s sight, the high places remained and people continued to sacrifice and burn incense there. God afflicted him with leprosy until the day he died. Azariah had to live in a house apart (2 Kings 15:3-5). Thus a deep-seated prejudice had existed against lepers.

Secondly, leprosy is pathologically caused by bacteria and has long been misunderstood to be highly infectious. Before the discovery of penicillin, there was no medicine to treat it. Socially, lepers had to be segregated. King Azzaiah was lucky. He lived apart in palace and didn’t have to worry about provisions. But ordinary lepers had to beg outside towns and villages. Thus, even rich lepers would feel punished by God and rejected by brothers. They would be lonely not to mention those living in poverty!

Ordinary people might live happily in poverty. But lepers in poverty who suffer bodily and spiritually are really the most pitiful among the poor. Exterior leprosy is visible and lepers will seek treatment. What about interior leprosy?

The “seven capital vices” are like leprosy, eating away the human spirit! Greed of power and wealth hardens people’s hearts and numbs their feelings, prevents them to know that sins are like bacteria eroding people’s soul and humanity. Jealousy drives men to kill. Fury makes men lose control. Pride prevents men from seeking treatments and God’s forgiveness. Sloth eats away the will to resist and lust men’s strength to fight … On the other hand, loneliness and a sense of rejection gradually build up a thick crust and wall, cutting off the channel to send out distress signal … How dangerous and terrible! How can humanity save itself?
Lord, if you wish, you can make me clean. Amen.