Male
Leper: Lord God! I come to you on bended knees, with my face
lying prostrate on the ground!
Take pity on this unfortunate creature, I’ve got nothing but bumps all
over my body! I pray you, Lord, I beg you and I trust in you! I pray,
I beg and I trust in you!
Female
Leper: What are
you saying, chatterbox? Do you think you’ll impress the Lord with your
silly talk? Oh Lord, you know fully well I’m worse than he! Look, even
the wounds in my body outnumber the hairs on my head!
Another
Leper: Shut up,
scabby, I came here first! I started praying before you!
Male
Leper: I pray, I beg and I trust in you!
Female
Leper: Lord, have
mercy, Lord, have mercy!
There in the caves of Ginae, near the mountains of Gilboa, lived several
men and women suffering from the worst of all known diseases at that
time: leprosy. The lepers were not allowed to enter any town, nor knock
at any door, much less to enter the synagogue. That is why, every Saturday
some of them would gather in the big cave to pray for healing. They
would scream and burn incense leaves so that their prayers would reach
God through his ears and nose....
Male
Leper: If you heal me, I swear I’ll never cut my hair nor
taste a drop of wine for the rest of my life!
Female
Leper: Every month
I’ll walk barefoot to the Sanctuary of Shiloh!
Another
Leper: I’ll consecrate
my life in service to you! If you cure me, Lord, I’ll go the Monastery
of the Dead Sea to study the holy scriptures day and night!
While the rest of the lepers prayed, Demetrius, the Samaritan, entered
the cave. He was also a leper....
Demetrius: If someday you get cured, rascal, go get yourself a
twin brother and let him fulfill your oath!..... Hey, folks, stop praying
and listen to me! The Lord in heaven must’ve strained his ears with
your stories. Why don’t we give him a chance to rest? Listen.... Do
you know what I’ve discovered?
Male
Leper: How would we know..... Unless you tell us?
Demetrius: If you don’t shut up, how can I tell you? Listen...
Haven’t you heard of Jesus of Nazareth?
Female
Leper: Who’s he?
Demetrius: He’s a prophet! He is God-sent! They say the angels
are with him!
Male
Leper: Prophets make me laugh, more so if they come from Galilee!
Female
Leper: Me too!
And I won’t lift a finger for them.
Demetrius: What you should move are your feet. I heard that he
and his friends are taking the road to Capernaum. And they have to pass
by Ginae.
Male
Leper: Well, let them pass where the road is good. What the
hell do we care, Demetrius?
Demetrius: They say he has healed many sick people... He simply
touched them and..... presto! they’re cured.
Male
Leper: Well, as for me.... presto!..... I’m not moving from
here.
Another
Leper: Neither
am I. Look, Demetrius, I understand how things are. You come out of
the cave, walk four miles, the heat, the exhaustion, the blisters on
your feet and... what for?
Demetrius: What for? To see the prophet, to talk to him! Maybe
he can help us.
Female
Leper: Help us!
Ha! You are a Samaritan, and that’s why you’re stupid enough not to
understand that the only thing we can do is to accept our fate. We’re
all doomed.
Demetrius: That’s right, we’re doomed... but we don’t lose anything
by trying! So, my friends of ill omen, stop lamenting. Let’s all go
and see the prophet!
Male
Leper: No, Demetrius,
we’re not going.
Demetrius: Why not?
Male
Leper: The prophet
is not passing through Ginae.
Demetrius: Don’t tell me. How did you know?
Male
Leper: Because
I know. I’m sure they’ll take the road to Dothan. People like us are
jinxed; we are never lucky. We’ll just be wasting our time.
Female
Leper: I think
our friend, Ptolemius, is right. They’ll take the road to Dothan.
Demetrius: You know something? I think with a band like you, even
Nebuchadnezzar would fall from his horse! It’s alright. Just burn your
leaves here, while I go and wait for him along the road of Ginae. But
don’t tell me I didn’t inform you!...
Some
Lepers: Wait, Demetrius,
don’t go... we.......... wait....
Amid grumblings and protests directed against Demetrius the Samaritan,
the rest of the lepers put on their black and dirty rags to cover their
bodies. The little bell hanging on their clothes was a reminder for
people to stay away. After walking four miles, they took their place
along the road coming from Jerusalem and leading to the entrance of
Ginae...
Male
Leper: We came at the wrong time, Demetrius! Look, we’ve been
waiting here for quite some time..... and... what for?
Female
Leper: So we’ll
know they have taken a detour to Dothan, that’s it.
Another
Leper: I bet nine
against one, we’ll never get to see even the shadow of that roving prophet
!
Demetrius: Well, I’m taking the bet. You’d better start paying,
my friend, because.... I swear they’re those people coming along the
bend!..... Look!..... Can’t you see? It’s they, I’m sure!!
Male
Leper: My grandfather’s name was “Sure” and he’s dead now...
Demetrius: Can’t you see them? The prophet of Galilee is coming!!
Male
Leper: Okay, okay,..... so what?
Demetrius: Now we’ll tell the prophet our problem, and maybe he
can help us.
Male
Leper: Do you think he’ll waste his time on us? C’mon, Demetrius,
don’t aim so high. If you fall, it could even be worse. The prophet
will pass by this road, all right, without even getting a glimpse of
us.
Female
Leper: I agree with Ptolemius. We’ve got the jinx, you know.
Demetrius: Okay, okay, but I want to see the Galilean.....Hey,
Jesus, help us. Do something for us. Hey, Jesus, over here even for
a minute, please!
Demetrius, the Samaritan, signalled to us with his two arms. He was
shouting and jumping, so we would see. Behind him, the other lepers
were looking at us suspiciously....
Demetrius: They have seen us! And they’re coming over!... Hey,
Jesus, prophet!... But... what’s wrong with you? Will you just stay
there like wet chickens? C’mon guys. Move, do something!
Female
Leper: What do
you want us to do, Demetrius?.... C’mon, tell us...What can the prophet
do for us, huh? How can he help us?... Don’t be too excited... you might
only be disappointed.
Male
Leper: I agree with her. C’mon, Demetrius...
Demetrius: Okay, I know, I know. Go to hell, all of you! Even
patient Job can’t put up with you!
Jesus, Peter and I were walking ahead of the rest and when we saw the
group of lepers at a stone’s throw, we came to a halt...
Jesus: Hello, my friends, who are you? Where did you come
from?
Female
Leper: Now, he’ll
ask us to go away...
Demetrius: We came from the caves of Ginae! We’re lepers! Can
you help us?
Jesus: Well, the truth is... We didn’t bring anything... Not
even food nor money...!
Male
Leper: I told you! It’s all just a waste of time, plus a bonus
of blisters on our feet..
Jesus: ...Why don’t you see the priest and tell him your problem!...
Who knows, you might be lucky!.... Goodbye!
Male
Leper: “Who knows, who knows”... This prophet knows nothing
and passes it on to the priests!
Female
Leper: “Go to where
the priest is and tell him your problems!” Great!
Another
Leper: Well, a
man forewarned is worth two men. I brought some dates with me for the
long walk back to the caves. Goodbye!
Demetrius: Come back, you bunch of idiots! If the prophet had
told us to go barefoot to the Sanctuary of Shiloh or to go up the Monastery
of the Dead Sea, wouldn’t we have done that?
Male
Leper: Well, in that case...
Demetrius: Well, he’s asking us something easier: to go to the
priests of Ginae. C’mon, let’s all go there and see what happens.
Male
Leper: See what happens! I’m sick and tired of this “come
and see what happens” thing! I pray, I beg, I trust.... but nothing
happens!
Demetrius: If the prophet said this, then it must be for something!
Male
Leper: Of course, it’s for something! It’s to make fun of
us! Didn’t you see his expression?.... I’m not going anywhere...
Another
Leper: Neither
am I.
Another
Leper: Nor I.
Another
Leper: Look, Demetrius.
do you think with these wounds in my leg, I can show myself to the priest
for examination?
When Ptolemius, one of the lepers, took off the rag that covered his
legs, everyone was aghast...
Male
Leper: Look.... Look!!... My skin has become so smooth, like
a child’s!
Female
Leper: How can
it be possible!.... Let me see...
Another
Leper: Your’s too,
Marthina!..... And yours, Godolias!!
Another
Leper: And mine!!!
And yours too, Demetrius!....
The lepers of Ginae wept and shouted with joy when they realized that
their wounds had disappeared without any traces at all....
Male
Leper: Something fantastic has happened here!
Female
Leper: It has never
happened before! It’s a bunch of miracles!
Demetrius: See, I told you, killjoy! The prophet of Galilee has
cured us, without even lifting a finger! C’mon, guys, hurry up! Run...!
Male
Leper: Where to, Demetrius? Where do you want to bring us
now?
Demetrius: To where the prophet is! Whether he is still in Ginae
or if he has arrived in Capernaum, we’ll go see him!
Female
Leper: Are you
out of your mind, Demetrius? Why are we going to look for him?
Demetrius: What for? To thank him, damn it!
Male
Leper: Forget it, Demetrius. We won’t see him anyway.
Female
Leper: Of course
not! Don’t you see he’s a prophet?
Demetrius: So?
Female
Leper: Prophets
just disappear. Remember Elijah, who went up the air in a chariot? We
won’t see him anyway.
Another
Leper: Right. He’ll
just disappear.
Another
Leper: Well, you
may go on with bickerings if you want... but I’m heading right now for
Bartholo’s inn, since my throat hasn’t had a taste of wine for three
years!
Another
Leper: I’m doing
the same tonight!
Female
Leper: I’ll go
greet my family in Bethulia!
Another
Leper: I’m seeing
Martha and Filomena, the good one and the bad one! Hahay!
But Demetrius had left them and started to run along the streets...
Demetrius: Hey, have you seen a brown, bearded man pass by? His
name is Jesus of Nazareth!
A
Man: No, my friend... Wait a minute, but... aren’t you Demetrius,
the leper?
Demetrius: Excuse me, madam, did you see a group of Galileans
pass by? One of them is Jesus, the prophet.
An
Old Woman: No,
my son, I haven’t seen anyone. I’m also looking for my lost grandson...
Finally, after a lot of running and asking, Demetrius caught up with
us, at the mount of Jarod...
Demetrius: Jesus, thank you, Jesus...!
Jesus: Hey, and where are the rest of your friends?
Demetrius: Well, they.... they only think of God during rainy
days.... you know!
Demetrius, the Samaritan stayed with us for quite sometime in Jarod’s
inn. Then they all drank a toast for him and for his nine companions
who stayed behind; and for God, who makes the rain fall over the good
and bad, and the sun shine on the grateful as well as the ungrateful.
The original word in Hebrew for leprosy is “sara’at,” which is derived
from the expression “to be punished by God.” Leprosy was always considered
a horrible divine punishment. The religious “impurity” was thus contracted
by the sick person, which made him repudiated by the rest of the community.
So the lepers had to live in segregated places, were strictly prohibited
from entering the cities and they had to announce their presence in
the streets for everyone to avoid them. Since the disease was also perceived
to be incurable, the only hope of the patients was a miracle. In any
case, if the disease was cured, it had to be confirmed and certified
by the priest. (Lev 14:1-32)
Dothan and Ginae are two small cities about eight kilometers apart,
situated along the road ascending to Galilee from Judea, passing through
the Samaritan mountains. Of the ten lepers praying and suffering in
the cave of Ginae, Demetrius is the only Samaritan. There is an interesting
symbolism here: The most despised of all (for being a leper and a Samaritan)
shall be the only one who will keep alive the trust of the group (because
of his faith, the miracle will work for everyone) and the only
one who will express his gratitude for what was done to him.
A fatalistic attitude toward life paralyzes us. If everything is indeed
written,” if destiny (fate) is something that cannot be contradicted,
then nothing can be done but to wait for the time of its fulfillment,
for good or for bad. Demetrius will fight against his companions’ pessimism
and will mobilize them. This will bring him near Jesus and will open
possibilities in his life. A false religion has taught the hearts of
many men and women, fatalistic beliefs about life. These ideas are not
certain though: We are free men and women. The direction that our life
takes depends on us. If still we are not free, if ours is a life that
is crushed by suffering and oppression, a fatalistic attitude (it has
always been so, it will always be like this) will only perpetuate the
situation. It is not destiny that perpetuates it, but our attitude.
In this episode we see how, reluctantly, the lepers go in search of
Jesus; how they distrust him, criticize him, and finally, how ungrateful
they are. In spite of all these, Jesus heals all of them. This miracle
is therefore, a sign that God’s gifts are free. God grants us life,
good health and opportunities not because we are more grateful or less
grateful or in order for us to be good, but because God loves us. God’s
love is unselfish, disinterested, and doesn’t expect any incense burning
or applause in return.
Luke, the only evangelist who wrote about this picturesque and “incredible”
account of the ten lepers who were healed, wished to elaborate a catechetical
scheme about how our attitude toward God should be, and he did it by
way of this parable on gratitude. This attitude is important not because
God “needs” it to help us, but because being grateful helps us to be
truly humble and to be more brotherly/sisterly with one another. There
are people who only remember the Lord during bad times. They also follow
the rest of the pattern: they are good only at asking. They never express
their gratitude. Such behavior obviously implies a certain egoism, while
to be grateful makes us aware of our limitations and gives us a certain
joy which egoists will never experience. To be grateful is closely linked
to human solidarity, to sharing, and to the knowledge that we support
one another and are responsible for each other as we involve ourselves
in the performance of the common task.
(Lk
17:11-19)