The Catholic Calendar for Sunday, February 12, 2006
Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Scripture from today's Liturgy of the Word:
Leviticus 13:1-2, 44-46
Psalm 32:1-2, 5, 11
1 Corinthians 10:31--11:1
Mark 1:40-45

A reflection on today's Sacred Scripture:

Jesus seems a bit irritated with those prescriptions of Leviticus. He's certainly not against cleanliness, however. God the Father knew what He was doing! Because of the wisdom of many of those rituals, He chosen ones avoided many an epidemic that might have decimated them in the desert as well as in later years. They anticipated our modern hospital “scrubbing” techniques.

But that isn’t the point of the Gospel, which is about the way we treat the socially unclean in our society. Just as Jesus’ compassion for that leper overrode the prohibition of physical contact with them, so, too, we must examine our treatment of those we consider unacceptable. Perhaps it’s those who are under church sanction because of invalid marriages, or those living with drug or alcohol addiction, or those who are irresponsible in family obligations. Perhaps it’s a question of delinquent children or teenagers, or young adults who sponge off their parents. Haven’t they separated themselves from God? Shouldn’t we separate ourselves from such behavior? Yes, from their behavior, but not from them, for they are our brothers and sisters. Jesus willed to heal them, and so must we. To do so, He had to risk His own legal cleanliness by touching them! What kind of risk are we willing to take?

Our journey to God demands that we imitate the life and the compassionate love of Jesus. How can we, like Jesus, be agents of healing? Our second reading gives us sound advice. St. Paul tells us to do all we do for the glory of God, attempting to please all kinds of people. A smile, a word of encouragement, a kind action, can go a long way. Perhaps we can even risk walking further with them by getting counseling for them, befriending them with an occasional cup of coffee, or inviting them to Mass. After all, their “leprosy” is probably only skin deep.

- Msgr. Paul Whitmore
(smartins at frontiernet dot net)

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