6^th Sunday in Ordinary Time-B

I Reading: Leviticus: 13:1-2.44-46: The Leper must live apart: he must live outside the camp.

II Reading: 1 Corinthians 10:31-11:1: Take me for your model, as I take Christ.

Gospel: Mark 1:40-45: The leprosy left him at once and he was cured.

 

Jesus’ Power over Leprosy and its Impact: Cleansing the most Unclean

 

Leprosy was connected with sin in the ancient times. Sin separates from God and people/friends/church/family/community/society. Leprosy was the most feared disease of the ancient world because of the way it destroyed the body of a person. The leper was considered the most unclean revolting and hideous person imaginable. There was no known cure for leprosy; only God was considered powerful enough to cure the disease. Jesus had the power to cleanse the most unclean, no matter how terrible their uncleanness (1:2,3; Mt 8:1-4).

The first reading of today gives us some of the rules laid down by Moses regarding lepers in Israel. He was not only a religious leader but also a civil leader governing the people of Israel in God’s name. Is there any leader today who works for the spiritual and material welfare of the people?

The second reading talks about Paul as a good leader guiding the Christians of Corinth and becoming a good model to work for people for the glory of God.

In the Gospel of today, Jesus becomes the true, loving and forgiving leader with full of compassion and cures a leper with his loving touch with creative Words. Jesus removes the blind belief, indiscrimination and social untouchability and forgives the sins of a sinner by his power as the Messiah. The purpose of the coming of Jesus was to save humankind from sin and death.

 

We summarize the readings into three parts:

i.                Lepers in ancient times: untouchable and ostracised, standing 6-8 feet away, torn clothes, covering the face, talking with upper lips only, no combing, pronouncing “I am unclean, I am unclean while sitting or walking or when people pass by.”

ii.              Jesus cures the lepers: because the leper came with humility i.e. kneeling down at the feet of Jesus and pleaded for mercy and Jesus felt sorry for him and stretched out his hand and touched him breaking the law of the people and cured him to live happily in the society. The leper also broke the rule to touch Jesus with his humility and total trust and hope in the power of Jesus.

iii.            An important lesson to be learned from the Gospel of today: when committing sin:

a.    Sin separates us from God

b.    Sin separates us from our brothers and sisters in the Christian community.

 

1.    He was the great hope of the most unclean (v.40)

2.    He was moved with compassion for the most unclean (41-42)

a.    Moved to touch. In the OT nobody touched the lepers-morally and spiritually unclean person.

b.    Moved to speak

c.     Result: it was His Word (Creative Word) of power that cleansed and healed the most unclean

3.    He warned the most unclean to go sin no more (43)

4.    He demanded that the most unclean witness to His Messiahship (44)

5.    He made a great impact (45)

a.    The news spread

b.    His fame forced him to an unpopulated area

 

Thought: like the leper of today’s Gospel, let us hasten to the feet of Christ whenever we feel guilty of serious sin, tell him with faith: “Lord, if you want, you can cure me.” Let us listen to his answer: “Of course I want! Be cured!” A sinner is forgiven in the sacrament of reconciliation when he/she comes back to the Lord with a repentant heart.

When we are forgiven and cleansed, Christ expects us to “stop sinning.” There is no real faith apart from obedience and work. Every cleansed person is to go to church, profess his/her cleansing and become a part of God’s society and family of believers. A cleansed person becomes a living testimony and witness to the power of God.

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