"We are made to be a community, to love and support each other."
© Lawrence Klimecki
A Party for Agnes
One of the most extraordinary birthday parties that ever occurred did not take place at a palace or a fancy hotel. It occurred at a small rundown diner in Honolulu at 3 a.m.. The birthday girl was a 39 year old prostitute, all the guests were prostitutes, and it was organized by a Christian minister.
The minister was at the diner one morning having coffee at the counter when a group of prostitutes came in and took up the stools around him. He heard one of the girls, Agnes, lamenting that tomorrow was her birthday and she had never has a birthday party.
Perhaps it was a nudge from the Holy Spirit but after the girls left, the minister approached the owner of the diner. He learned that the girls came in every morning at around 3:30 am and together the owner and the minister agreed to hold a birthday party for Agnes. Somehow word got out onto the street and by 3:15 the next morning the small diner was packed with prostitutes, the owner and his wife, and the minister.
When Agnes walked in she was met with streamers, balloons, cheering friends, and the owner of the diner holding a birthday cake. Everyone screamed “Happy Birthday!” and Agnes was overwhelmed. The crowd sang happy birthday and the diner owner called for Agnes to cut the cake. Agnes looked at the cake and paused. She had never had a birthday cake and wanted to take it home to show her mother.
Agnes left and a stunned silence fell over the diner. That was the minister's cue. He stood up and led a roomful of prostitutes, the diner owner, and the owner's wife, in a prayer for Agnes.
For Agnes, this was the first time anyone had gone out of their way to do something for her, without expecting anything in return. The actions of friends and strangers had a tremendous impact on her.
The Outcasts
Our Lord teaches us by His actions as well as by His words. A leper comes to Him, kneels before Him, and says “If you wish, you can make me clean,” The leper in essence is saying that all it would take to heal him, is the desire of Jesus. And in response Jesus does something extraordinary for the time, He reaches out and touches the diseased man.
In healing the leper He teaches us a great lesson. Not in the healing, we have come to expect that of Him, but in the touching; “He stretched out His hand, touched him…” Jesus could have healed the man without touching him at all, why was that detail so important this time?
Lepers in the time of Jesus were the walking dead. No one would come near them let alone touch them. Can you imagine going years without even the touch of a handshake, or a comforting hand on your shoulder? And worse, imagine no one coming near enough to even talk to you, unless it is to tell you to go away.
This past year (2020) was a very strange one to say the least. And while the contagiousness and lethality of the pandemic may be disputed, its effect on society is very clear.
Before the mantra of “social distancing” became the byword of the day, there was an amiable interaction among people, even complete strangers. It was normal greet each other as you pass on the street, even if it was only a nod of the head to acknowledge the existence of the other. People may even have paused in their day to day activities to chat with a passer-by or a neighbor and may even have ended the conversation with a handshake.
But all that changed with the pandemic and social distancing. More often than not people have isolated themselves within a 6-foot bubble. Casual shoppers no longer look up at others around them with a smile or a friendly greeting. People seem to be afraid that simple human interaction may lead to a contagious encounter so they tend to keep to themselves.
And the result of this absence of simple human interaction has been devastating. Reports of depression and suicidal loneliness have become common. Seniors deprived of visits from family members may have suffered the most.
We are made to be a community, to love and support each other. When we cannot or will not, then our society begins to break down and we have seen that play out as well. Protests, riots, and on-going lawlessness have continued in some of our nation's largest cities.
The pandemic may have given us the smallest taste of what it means to be isolated from society at large.
In our time leprosy is not the scourge it was 2000 years ago. But there are others we continue to ostracize from our community. There are still terrible diseases that ravage the body, physical deformities that cripple and maim. Jesus challenges us to reach out to them, touch them, and bring them into our community. And not only those with physical disabilities, which are easy to see and therefore easy targets for bigotry, but also those whose pain we do not see.
Whether it is some trauma they have suffered in their lives or a choice of lifestyle that is not approved of, their pain is no less real. And sometimes a touch or a kind word or just the offer to listen can begin the healing process.
Pax Vobiscum
6th Sunday in Ordinary Time
The Lion of Judah © Lawrence Klimecki
Pontifex University is an online university offering a Master’s Degree in Sacred Arts. For more information visit the website at www.pontifex.university
Lawrence Klimecki, MSA, is a deacon in the Diocese of Sacramento. He is a public speaker, writer, and artist, reflecting on the intersection of art and faith and the spiritual “hero’s journey” that is part of every person’s life. He maintains a blog at www.DeaconLawrence.org and can be reached at Lawrence@deaconlawrence.com
Lawrence draws on ancient Christian tradition to create new contemporary visions of sacred art. For more information on original art, prints and commissions, Please visit www.DeaconLawrence.org
Purchase fine art prints of Deacon Lawrence’s work here.
