The late Bishop Fulton J Sheen tells the story about his visit to a leper colony during which one man who had been especially wasted by the disease approached him with a rosary hanging from a stump at his shoulder where an arm was once attached. At first Sheen was repelled and didn't want to touch him, but realized at that moment he had become more consumed by leprosy than anyone around him, and he embraced the man, and every other leper that came to him to be blessed that day.
I was reminded of this while waiting to check out at a local grocery store when a man wheeled in line not too far behind me in a motorized wheelchair. His left foot was swollen ten times normal size and was entirely uncovered (even though it's the middle of winter), revealing cracked, dry skin and toes the size of baseballs.
He was in good spirits, or seemed to be. A woman was helping him. They didn't appear to be together. I overheard him say that he worked at a local mission. The woman made polite small talk and helped him load his groceries from his motorized cart to the belt.
I initially pitied him, like Fulton Sheen had pitied the leper, then I pitied myself.
There are some Christian sects that believe it is in the needs of people like this that you find Jesus. These sects often build hospitals and orphanages first and care for souls later.
[2013-01-30]
c0
Say something else in that ear. "Getting old(er) doesn't mean you don't understand the current generation; it means you have something to compare it to."
--Clarence 0ddbody
[2013-02-11]
c0
Good insight, there.
ReplyDeleteThis story is interesting and somewhat related to the them of your post- especially b/c RL Stevenson makes an appearance (and I am quite a fan of his): http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Father_Damien
I read this with great interest. Thanks for the link, Herb.
ReplyDelete--c0
Great! I am glad you enjoyed it. As I said, I am somewhat of a fan of RLS. So when I discovered this story as a new catholic a few years ago I was especially interested to see how RLS (a Church of Scotland man) went after his own clergy in defense of a leperous catholic future saint. The full text of his letter (with plenty of typos unfortunately) can be found here in case you didn't read beyond the wiki entry: http://www.fullbooks.com/Father-Damien.html
ReplyDeleteBlessings to you
I have been a fan of Robert Lewis Stevenson too, ever since I was a boy and read Treasure Island. My last name is "Cairns" and I have a lot of Scotch in me. I've naturally found things Scottish more interesting for only that reason. I will check out this link, too, thank you.
ReplyDeleteI have always admired missionaries who found a calling among those rejected by others, the ones no one really cares about, even though society pretends to. I guess that's why we like watching Spencer Tracy in Boys Town, but when it comes to really providing for orphans, that's another matter; we'd rather kill them before they need a Father Flanagan.
--c0