Touching

In this week's Gospel text from Luke 17, Jesus heals ten lepers. As in most of the stories of healings in the Gospels and Acts, touching is involved--Jesus (or an apostle) touches or is touched by another person. In fact, a significant number of the "interpersonal encounters" recounted in Scripture include a mention of touching in one way or another.

Today, we laugh at Mr. Monk (on TV) because every time he has to shake hands with someone, he needs "a wipe" to clean himself after the contact. We DO laugh at him and chuckle over his "obsessions and compulsions." Yet, there's a booming market today for hand-sanitizing lotions, sold "in bottles small enough to fit in pocket or purse." We go to the supermarket and are offered a towelette to clean off the handle of the shopping cart in case the last user left some nasty germs behind.

In church many people are leery of sharing in Communion because they might "catch something" from the loaf or the cup, because others have had to handle them. Instead of hugging, many folks just give a "hiya" gesture and instead of kissing someone on the cheek we give "air kisses"--making a smooching noise in the air somewhere near them without actually making contact.

Often, we fail to notice that the hand sanitizers and the household cleaners and the pest control we use to try to rid ourselves of the "bugs" around us are never 100% effective. In fact, they kill only the weaker "bugs" and "germs" leaving the stronger ones to come after us later. And the commercials remind us of that--"kills 99.9%" they say--but that 0.1% is still there and growing. We can fear them--or not.

Touching is a human need--some touching can, indeed, be inappropriate and pathological--but the kind of touching that conveys warmth, caring, genuine affection, and, particularly, comfort in times of fear and pain and mourning, is something our souls yearn for.

Jesus touched--and healing happened. He lived boldly rather than fearfully. How, then, should we live? Do we treat others as "lepers"? Do others treat us that way?