Please read the Scripture passage before the homily.
Mythologies are not about pagan gods and goddesses. They are about the deep truths of reality, creation and life. The mythology of the first chapters of Genesis tells us the God created the universe. The story of Adam and Eve tells us the evil has been part of human life since the beginning.
Many of the laws in the books of Moses were made to safeguard the health of the people. Forbidding people to touch or have contact with leprosy was designed to prevent the spread of leprosy.
A leper came to Jesus, asking him to touch him and heal him. Jesus touched him. In doing so, he took upon himself the leprosy of the man and transferred to the healed leper Jesus’ own healing.
If through one man, sin entered the world, transferring evil to the rest of the human race, so much more will the goodness of the Second Adam transfer goodness to the whole human race, cleansing us all of sin. Jesus touched the man and wiped away the filth of sin and restored health, not only to the leper, but to all of us.
The mythology tries to explain how the deeply entrenched sinfulness of the human race has been radically uprooted and replaced with deep goodness through the good actions of the one whom we call the Second Adam.
Our theology says that Christ took our iniquity upon himself to save us from our sins. Healing the leper by touching is an example of this taking our iniquity upon himself. Now that we have been justified by faith in Jesus and have been washed clean in the life-giving waters of baptism, we are being sent out to share this new goodness with the rest of the world.
Jesus has touched us and taken our sinfulness upon himself, replacing our guilt with his innocence. We are now radically innocent, restored to creation’s original splendor. We must now live the newness of this life.