An interesting (if exceedingly gross) article in yesterday's New York Times looked at a parasite problem in Nigeria. Jimmy Carter's foundation has been working to eradicate "guinea worm," which, once it enters (as a miniscule larva) into the body, grows wherever it lands, and then creates a kind of acid to burn its way out when breeding time comes. The pain is intense, and many people die as a result of unwise attempts to kill the worm. Anyway, all it takes to prevent infestation is that drinking water be filtered, but it is slow going to reach entire populations, many of them still following ancestral taboos, and there were still 12,000 cases of infection last year (a great improvement over the millions in the 80's). What perked my interest in yesterday's article was that there are some who believe that this parasitic worm (which looks no wider than suture, and grows to 3 feet long) may be the "fiery serpents" of the book of Numbers--referred to in yesterday's Gospel. ("Just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the desert, so must the Son of Man be lifted up...") In fact, the sufferers say that the burning of the worm when it works its way out of the body is just like fire.
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2 comments:
Wow. That sounds like an...unpleasant...affliction, to say the least, but an interesting connection to scripture!
How long have you been with the Daughters of St. Paul? I volunteered at the Charleston, SC one when I was in high school, but now that I'm in DC I miss it a lot.
You can always visit the sisters in Alexandria, VA, just across the river... They're at the corner of King and Henry (I think it's routes 1 and 7).
I'm sure they'd love to meet you!
I've been with the Daughters, by the way, since 1975.
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