Some will undoubtedly react to the reality of AIDS with anger. We know that many people bring this disease upon themselves -- and others -- by choosing a life style that most of us think is immoral. It is natural to be angry when someone we love does that to himself or herself, and when anyone does it to others.

One of the tragedies that has happened over and over in the aftermath of the discovery of a case of AIDS in the family is that the parents have been so broken hearted and so angry that they have rejected their son or daughter and cut themselves off from him or her. The results compound the tragedy. The infected person is forced to endure the slow and painful process of dying alone, without financial support, and -- worse -- without the loving relationships of the family. And the family must suffer terribly during that process too. It is useless to say, "Don't be angry." Anger just happens. It will have to be dealt with when it is there.

Anger and rejection are natural reactions to AIDS. But Jesus did not respond to the leper in anger or in rejection.

Christ calls us to move beyond all of these natural reactions and to respond in a very different way to the reality of AIDS and to those who are its victims. When Jesus turned aside on that day to make a compassionate response to the leper who was in His path, He demonstrated another way of responding to human suffering. Those who would be followers of Jesus must learn how to respond in loving compassion.

Love will require us to seek a cure for AIDS and to call for a renewal of morality and to do all sorts of practical things to limit the spread of the epidemic.

Love should make Christian people teach and model a way of life that will not cause the epidemic to spread. A significant story comes out of Southeast Asia, where the AIDS epidemic has reached terrible proportions. Among the mountain villages of Thailand, there is one village where virtually one hundred percent of the population is infected with AIDS. But in the next village, there is not a single case. What made the difference? Many years ago, a Lutheran Missionary came to the second village and the people all accepted the Christian faith. Since that time, the people of that village learned and lived a life style that does not include sexual promiscuity. It seems that the world could learn something from that village.

But love must also make a personal response to those who suffer. We can understand that. A few years ago, a church women's group undertook to make thousands of warm receiving blankets for little babies who were being born infected with AIDS. It is a natural thing to want to make a loving response to the suffering innocent.

But what about those who are not innocent? Can there be any warm blanket of love for them? Some people will say, "No, we must respond to wrong behavior in a way that will condemn it! A loving response might encourage it!" But we did not learn that response from Christ. No one ever had higher moral expectations than did Jesus. Yet, when people suffered -- even because of their moral failures -- Jesus was there to love, to help, and if possible to heal. We should know that. We are all beneficiaries of the compassionate response of Christ. Can any of us claim to have deserved God's love?