Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Lectionary: 77
Reading I
Lv 13:1-2, 44-46
The LORD said to Moses and Aaron,
“If someone has on his skin a scab or pustule or blotch
which appears to be the sore of leprosy,
he shall be brought to Aaron, the priest,
or to one of the priests among his descendants.
If the man is leprous and unclean,
the priest shall declare him unclean
by reason of the sore on his head.
“The one who bears the sore of leprosy
shall keep his garments rent and his head bare,
and shall muffle his beard;
he shall cry out, ‘Unclean, unclean!’
As long as the sore is on him he shall declare himself unclean,
since he is in fact unclean.
He shall dwell apart, making his abode outside the camp.”
Responsorial Psalm
Ps 32:1-2, 5, 11
R. (7) I turn to you, Lord, in time of trouble, and you fill me with the joy of salvation.
Blessed is he whose fault is taken away,
whose sin is covered.
Blessed the man to whom the LORD imputes not guilt,
in whose spirit there is no guile.
R. I turn to you, Lord, in time of trouble, and you fill me with the joy of salvation.
Then I acknowledged my sin to you,
my guilt I covered not.
I said, “I confess my faults to the LORD,”
and you took away the guilt of my sin.
R. I turn to you, Lord, in time of trouble, and you fill me with the joy of salvation.
Be glad in the LORD and rejoice, you just;
exult, all you upright of heart.
R. I turn to you, Lord, in time of trouble, and you fill me with the joy of salvation.
Reading II
1 Cor 10:31—11:1
Brothers and sisters,
Whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do,
do everything for the glory of God.
Avoid giving offense, whether to the Jews or Greeks or
the church of God,
just as I try to please everyone in every way,
not seeking my own benefit but that of the many,
that they may be saved.
Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ.
Alleluia
Lk 7:16
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
A great prophet has arisen in our midst,
God has visited his people.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel
Mk 1:40-45
A leper came to Jesus and kneeling down begged him and said,
“If you wish, you can make me clean.”
Moved with pity, he stretched out his hand,
touched him, and said to him,
“I do will it. Be made clean.”
The leprosy left him immediately, and he was made clean.
Then, warning him sternly, he dismissed him at once.
He said to him, “See that you tell no one anything,
but go, show yourself to the priest
and offer for your cleansing what Moses prescribed;
that will be proof for them.”
The man went away and began to publicize the whole matter.
He spread the report abroad
so that it was impossible for Jesus to enter a town openly.
He remained outside in deserted places,
and people kept coming to him from everywhere.
MY BROTHERS AND SISTERS,
Leprosy was an awful disease and one that much of society feared from Biblical Times all the way up to the modern era.. A cure has been developed but there is still a social stigma attached to the disease which goes back to its very beginnings. Those who contracted leprosy were thought to be unclean not only physically but mentally and spiritually as well. They were thought to be cursed by God and were alienated as a result; forced to beg for the basic necessities in order to survive. They were viewed as monsters; feared by all. There was little or no communication between those who were infected and those who were not infected. The impact of contracting leprosy or if one was to be miraculously cured was so profound that, in the case of the Jews, only the high priest could declare someone unclean or clean.
The Gospel Reading today tells of a beautiful story that emphasizes God’s Love for us and the healing power of His presence in our lives. A leper asks to be cured and Jesus cures him. The man whom Jesus cured came forward and testified to the faith that he had that there was no doubt in his mind that Jesus had the power to do this. This event was enough to have Jesus’ fame spread rapidly throughout the region. The individual act of actually approaching Jesus and then kneeling down in front of Him took a gigantic leap of faith. Jesus could have stepped away from him. The crowds around him could have easily stoned him to death because of his intrusion. Neither of these things occurred but instead an action and a reaction took place: the leper saw Jesus, recognized Him as The Messiah, responded to His presence, came forward, asked, and was healed. Even though Jesus had healed before, this was the first time that He cleansed something that was deemed impossible to clean.
Our condition can be much like that of the leper that Jesus cured. Unfortunately, for many of us, our afflictions are where the commonality ends while our faith just might be a little more challenged. For most of us the root of our troubles is a spiritual sickness. It can be argued that this type of sickness is the most common one in the world and, from it, stems all other ills including those that can be defined as mental and physical in nature. There are three parts to every person: the spiritual, mental, and the physical. All three are intertwined and define who we are. They can also determine how healthy we are. When one part is suffering then that suffering can easily spread to the other parts; infecting them as well. This is especially true with our spirituality which has its roots in a solid relationship with God. If that relationship is not there then that absence marks the beginning of a sickness that will quickly spread to the other two parts.
Without a healthy spirituality we are easily drawn into bad behavior and are more apt to be tempted to do things that we know are wrong but offer us physical and mental pleasures. The more we pursue these things then the unhealthier we will become in other respects. The spiritual disease then causes us physical and mental deterioration as we pursue and do unhealthy things. As Jesus said, “It is not what goes into the mouth that defiles but it is what comes out of the mouth that defiles…For out of the heart come evil intentions, murder, adultery, fornification, theft, false witness, slander.” All the bad things that we are capable of doing start with an unhealthy spirituality which leads us away from God and towards self-destruction. To better ourselves and to avoid the pitfalls of a life filled with sin we have to start by nurturing our spirituality back to health.
Regardless of where we have been or what we have done no one is beyond being healed completely by God. This is what Jesus demonstrates through the cure of the leper. A healthy spirituality leads to a healthy mind and to a healthy way of living. Opening up our lives to God and letting Him come into us leads to us being influenced by Him. Once we let Him in He can do the work necessary, much like a surgeon, to remove all the bad things and replace what was taken out with things from God. We will naturally become better as a result of having and recognizing His presence.
When we are in communion with God the result will be that everything within us and around us becomes good. Even in the face of tragedy, sickness, and even death things become a different experience then what would have happened if God wasn’t with us. Times of trial become an opportunity to unite ourselves with The Crucified Christ and walk with Him towards Calvary. We learn that as Christians that we are meant to suffer and there is a particular joy found in that suffering that makes these things easy to overcome. The reason for this is what lies beyond the suffering. All suffering has an end and it is through suffering that we find God both with it and after it.. Christ suffered for our sins. He took them upon the cross and died for us. This can be viewed as the worst thing that could happen to a person: death. Yet, Christ conquered death through The Resurrection so even death itself has been turned from a negative to a positive. Death is not the end but just the beginning. So, in reality, what do us as Christians have to fear? Why would we ever want to live a life without God if what He brings is victory, joy, and healing?
It is only Satan who wants to prevent us from experiencing the healing powers of God. It is through Satan and the temptations of evil that we are convinced to settle for less in this life. Settling for less means partaking and enjoying the physical things while we suffer spiritually. These things might feel good in the moment but, just like most illnesses, the harm that they cause might not be noticed for a long time. There is damage being done below the surface and it will eventually bubble up to the surface. The Most Reverend Venerable Fulton Sheen calls this an act of “covering up” our sins by “adding zero to zero.” It is always easier to continue in our ways when we are sick instead of acknowledging that we are sick and are in need of attention. It is always easier not to acknowledge what we are doing or that we have done bad things. God promises a different and better way. He wants to take care of us and heal us. He never wants us to settle for less. Satan always wants us settle for less.
God wants to heal us of all of our infirmities. He wants to make us whole so that we can experience all of His creation the right and proper way. Jesus tells us that there is an answer to all of our trials and tribulations: “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me (Jn 14:6). Listening to Jesus, drawing closer to God, and focusing on a relationship with God deepens our experience of Him which will then heal us of our spiritual sickness. This will enable us to become healthy spiritually, mentally, and physically. It is then that we become new creations through Jesus Christ. Being a new creation means that our eyes will be opened to experience the wonderment of God’s creation and experience a new life unaffected by our old way of doing things.
Deacon Tom
FROM THE CATECHISM OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH
The power of Satan is, nonetheless, not infinite. He is only a creature, powerful from the fact that he is pure spirit, but still a creature. He cannot prevent the building up of God’s reign. Although Satan may act in the world out of hatred for God and his kingdom in Christ Jesus, and although his action may cause grave injuries—of a spiritual nature and, indirectly, even of a physical nature—to each man and to society, the action is permitted by divine providence which with strength and gentleness guides human and cosmic history. It is a great mystery that providence should permit diabolical activity, but “we know that in everything God works for good with those who love him” (CCC #395).
Do not be deceived. Satan is real and we must resist him, strong in our faith. However, do not be so terrified that you forget that GOD, His angels, and the grace HE bestows on us are more powerful and that GOD limits what demons can do. Trust GOD; call to HIM; frequently recite the 91st Psalm. Be sober and watchful and stay distant from the once-glorious fallen angels we rightly call demons.
My Brothers and Sisters,
Society judges us differently than Jesus Christ. Because of that, there will be times in our lives where we feel unclean and unworthy of anything through our thoughts and actions. We will find ourselves wrestling with sins and situations which separate us from the joy we can experience in this life. Embarrassment, shame, and humiliation prevent us from receiving any type or healing from our friends and ultimately Jesus. The first Scripture Reading today focuses on this situation. Under the Old Law, a person who contracts leprosy is pronounced unclean and is assumed cursed by God. They are separated from the community and forced to live as outcasts. It was assumed that they were cursed by God and were living a punishment for their sins or the sins of their forbearers. Under The Law, there was no recompense.
Jesus Christ does not want us to feel that way. It is through Jesus Christ that we receive healing, faith, hope, and love. There is no alienation and humiliation. It is through our relationship with Jesus Christ that all of that ends. In Paul’s letter today, he tells us to be “imitators of Christ.” Christ welcomed those who were deemed unclean and sinners. He embraced the outcast and through that embrace healed them. Through the act of cleansing the leper, Jesus tells us that no one is beyond forgiveness and redemption. There only has to be a desire to be healed and made whole. All we have to do is ask and it will be given to us. There is no precondition. In the same way, we are encouraged to do the same to those who are in pain and are hurting. There should be no precondition to the giving of our love. Christ loves us regardless of what we did or what we are doing. He wants the best for us and we should treat others accordingly.
When we act out our faith, we are not only healing those that we interact with. We are also healing ourselves. When we perform acts of charity in the name of Jesus Christ, He is being revealed to us through the person that we are helping. It is a shared experience. When Jesus healed the leper, not only was the sick person healed physically, he was transformed spiritually by the presence of Jesus which then led to his physical healing. Those who were witnesses to the event were also affected in a profound way. Lastly, all of those who heard the Good News, including the priests, were impacted. Acts of faith
and loves have the capability to do this. There are no limitations to what can be done and who can be affected even through one small act of kindness.
In a Christian Community, the way we interact with one another and with those outside the community can bring a tremendous amount of love and healing. If we don’t conduct ourselves rights, a lot of pain can result also. Doing everything for the glory of God, all of our thoughts and actions, eliminates the negative and insures a positive result. No one is perfect but we can all at least strive for some sort of perfection. Whatever is our focus at a given moment will be that thing which will be displayed with the most prominence be it negative or positive. Unfortunately, the way society is, it is the negative that is remembered most significantly and can wipe away the remembrance of all the good that came before it. Satan is always waiting for the opportunity to emphasize this.
We must always be watchful for weakness within ourselves and within our brothers and sisters. Through prayer and mutual support, we can all keep our focus on Jesus Christ. The more that we do this then the more we will be successful and bear fruit. A tree is known by its fruit and, through Christ, the fruit will always be good.
Deacon Tom
We all come to a point in our lives where we feel totally helpless and hopeless. We find ourselves in circumstances beyond our control; forced into calamity after calamity without any apparent avenue of escape. There is only unhappiness with no hope to change course. This is an example of life without God. It is our nature to separate God from his creation and try to live our lives without him. This is when we enter an existence filled with drudgery and false promise. The beauty of life is lost and the void is filled with worldly desires that stimulate ourselves for the moment but fade away as quickly as they came’ leaving us empty once again. This cycle can be repeated constantly until we find ourselves in a state of utter ruin.
The only way to break this cycle is to give ownership completely over to God; recognizing that he is indeed the creator of the entire universe and master over us all. We were created out of love: for God to love us and us to love God in a mutual relationship that, at one point in time, was completely perfect. Through us and because of us, that relationship was broken and cannot be completely repaired without a complete surrendering to him.
Even though this surrendering seems like the most obvious solution to our problems we tend to resist it; refusing to give up that control that we want even though it has led to our current state of affairs. We, in our arrogance, still want to remain masters of our own destiny, causing ourselves to be slaves to our own desires regardless of the consequences. It must be understood that no one can be both master and slave at the same time. If we are to be one it is so much better to be a slave to the one who created us. We neither have the ability or wisdom to become the true master when that person is the one who created us.
Imagine being a slave to God. If we were created for love isn’t it obvious that our master would completely love us and ask only one thing in return? That would be only to love him and be faithful to him. When this occurs, shouldn’t it be obvious that we will be cared for, comforted and loved in return? Oh how our ignorance and self-centeredness gets in our way. We are our own obstacle to complete and utter happiness. What is even sadder is the fact that we already know this and continue to drown ourselves in our stupidity. Yet, we are not alone. God has taken pity on us and leaves the doorway open for us to return any time we desire with open arms and a loving embrace.
We must do what the Master requests. As long as we do that then we will be rewarded as any slave would. To fully understand what the Master wants we just need to live our lives by his example. We take his love and immerse ourselves in it. We then let it transform us into a more perfect being while reacting to this love with good works; spreading the message of the Gospels to all who will listen and to those who do not. We must celebrate our life of servitude and understand that it is a great privilege to have. Once this is realized then we can gain the power to free ourselves from the temptations and dark forces that threaten to pull ourselves down into the darkness each day. Life becomes simpler and more obvious. We are the only ones who complicate things. We are the only ones who are enabling ourselves to fail. In the end, we need to get out of our own way and let God do his work.
He is capable of so many things.
Deacon Tom
My Sisters and Brothers in Christ,
Leprosy! Even today the very word “leprosy” has a harsh and intimidating sound to it. Today we have a treatment for leprosy but nevertheless there are about 200,000 new cases a year—although that number is slowly declining. But in the time of Leviticus and in the time of Jesus Christ, there was no known treatment. Because the causes of the disease were not know, the person was exiled from “healthy” human society. No one would want to be a leper, cut off from one’s own family and friends and spurned by everyone because of fear of contagion.
In the Scriptures, leprosy becomes a symbol of sin. We can even speak of the “leprosy of sin.” We can understand this also because sin is seen but why people sin is not so clear. There is something broken in our human nature and, as Saint Paul says, we sin even when we try not to sin.
The first reading today is from the Book of Leviticus, which is one of the early books of Hebrew Scripture, one of the early books of our Christian Bible. Chapters 12 to 15 deal with various illnesses and why some illnesses require the person to live apart, primarily in order not to infect others. We can well imagine, however, that if a person were able to hid some kind of infection, they would do so in order to avoid expulsion from the community.
The second reading is from the First Letter to the Corinthians. The strong teaching in this small except is that we should try to avoid giving offense to others and should try to please everyone. That is a tall order but we can understand that Christians are called to love everyone and to serve everyone and to put one’s own needs behind the needs of others. This could sound like a commandment just to be nice. Instead Saint Paul thinks of it as a way to bring salvation to others. We are all missionaries and must think about how we can draw others to Christ Jesus.
The Gospel from Mark today brings us back to leprosy. The leper in today’s Gospel wants to be cured. His faith that Jesus can cure him is so strong that Jesus tells him: “Be made clean.” And the leprosy leaves him. Even though Jesus asks the leper to be silent about this cure, the leper cannot keep his mouth shut. The leper proclaims to everyone that he has been cured by Jesus.
Sin is seen in the early Church as a form of moral leprosy. We are invited by Jesus to become clean in baptism. The early Church had a huge struggle to come to understand how anyone baptized could return to sin. But sin is like leprosy and returns over and over until there is a completely cure. The cure for spiritual leprosy is faith in Jesus Christ.
Today on this Sixth Sunday of Ordinary Time, we can ask ourselves: Do I really want to be free of sin? Am I willing to call out to the Lord and ask the Lord to heal me? Am I willing to proclaim the glory of God?
Your brother in the Lord,
Abbot Philip
Anyone who has read the life of Saint Damien of Molokai will have a deepened
understanding of the awful situation of the leper in society. Even today, where
there is medicine to treat the disease, in many countries it is still a cause
for social banishment. Mother Marianne Cope, who also worked with the lepers in
Molokai will be canonized this year.
Because some illnesses in the past were totally misunderstood, there was need to try to find ways to stop them from spreading. This is the intent of the first reading today. It goes hand in hand with today’s Gospel.
The challenge in most countries today is not physical leprosy as we find it in the Scriptures, but all kinds of moral leprosy. Today so much of our culture does not even understand that it is sick. The lack of moral values is so widespread that it now seems normal. Having any moral values is what now seems abnormal.
Yet even in our own time, some people recognize eventually that their ways of living have harmed them and then they can begin to recover from this lack of morality, this lack of any value system other than pleasure, power and money.
Today second reading, from the First Letter to the Corinthians, tells us: whatever you do, do everything for the glory of God. This is a clear and straightforward antidote to the moral sickness of our time.
If we look at the physical illnesses of our own time, there are very few which cause us the fear and uneasiness that leprosy would have caused in the Jewish Scriptures or in the Christian Scriptures. The AIDS Virus is one of the diseases that does cause fear and distress, but mostly in poor countries. In the United States there is now enough treatment for this virus that no one seems to fear it any more—or least the fear is not very large. In many poor countries, however, the HIV virus has effects very similar that of leprosy in the Old and the New Testaments.
One middle-aged man related going to visit his home village after more than 10 years of absence. He found that everyone his own age had died. Most of the people between 20 and 60 had died. The really old were now caring for their grandchildren or great grandchildren because everyone else was dead. It was an enormous shock to this man.
You are I are called by today’s Scripture readings to love all other people, even the lepers and the outcasts. By the way that we live, we must invite others also to begin to love and serve the outcasts. It is not a matter of preaching moral values or of condemning those whose actions have messed up their own lives and often the lives of others. It is a matter of loving such people and serving them—and a matter of us living the values of the Gospel.
May this day bring each of us closer to our Lord in love and in action. May we never fear serving others, no matter how awful the other person may seem or no matter the lack of moral values in the other person. Jesus simply tells us: love your enemy!
