Cycle B - Year II:  

11 February 2018: Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time 

(Liturgical Color: Green)

Readings:

First Reading:        Leviticus 13:1-2

Second Reading:   1 Corinthians 10:31--11:1

Gospel:Please Read  Mark 1:40-45

Lord Jesus, heal and cleanse us....

 I encountered once in the internet a picture of Pope Francis comforting and hugging a severely deformed man. It was a touching and moving picture captured on camera and circulated in the internet. That picture speaks a thousand words of the Pope's humanity and caring attitude towards the sick and suffering people, the flock entrusted to his care as the Vicar of Christ on earth.

That inspiring picture connects to an incident in our Lord's ministry narrated by the evangelist Mark in this Sunday's Gospel.

The Gospel narrative presents the moving story of Jesus healing the leper who "kneeling down begged him and said: 'If you wish, you can make me clean.' " (Mk 1:40)

Now in Jesus' time lepers were outcasts of society. Consider a leper in our Lord's time, how leprosy gradually eats away at the body, how it has no cure, and how it makes a man unclean for Temple worship. So the Jewish law forbade anyone from touching or even approaching a leper.   

Yet moved with pity Jesus did the unexpected. He stretched out His hand, touched the leper, and granted the man his request to be cured. Thus, Jesus demonstrates the personal love, compassion, and tenderness of God in His physical touch of the sick man avoided by society. Our Lord met the man's misery with compassion and tender kindness. By physically touching the "untouchable" leper, Jesus communicated the love and mercy of God very powerfully in a sign that spoke more eloquently than words.

The healing of the leper shows that Jesus indeed is the One to come. Because it is written that when the Messiah comes, the blind regain their sight, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, and the good news is proclaimed to the poor. As with all His miracles, our Lord's healing of the leper displays His divine authority. The physical healing manifests Jesus' power over the natural world.

Let us reflect on the Gospel incident in our practical life today.

There is an intriguing parallel between leprosy and sin. Because both render us unfit for worship. We can see leprosy as an apt image of sin because sin destroys the soul like leprosy destroys the body.

With this in mind, do we seek the Lord with expectant faith, like the leper in the Gospel story? Remember that no one who sought Jesus out was refused His help. Even the "untouchables" and the outcasts of Jewish society found help in our Lord.

In sum, our Lord Jesus is always ready to show us His mercy and to free us from whatever makes us unclean.

But then, how do we approach the "untouchables" and outcasts in our present society, especially those we find difficult to love? Do we also offer them mercy and help, like Jesus did to the leper? Or do we avoid them totally?

In our time, Jesus needs our words and actions, our hands and our hearts, to continue to reach out to the lonely, to alleviate the pain, to bridge the gap that separates people. Let us then follow the Lord's examples of mercy and compassion with the leper in this Sunday's Gospel, and the rest of our brethren who need our love and care.

A blessed Sunday to us all. And thank you for a moment with God.

Ad Jesum per Mariam!