Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time (B)

February 11, 2018

Readings:

First Reading – Lev. 13: 1-2, 44-46

Psalm 32

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

Gospel reading according to Mark (1: 40-45)

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Homily: 

This time, the leper came to Jesus to beg and not to impose for healing, as compared to the mother-in-law of Simon Peter whom Peter and his brother Andrew were the ones who made the intercession on behalf of the sick woman with fever.  “A leper came to Jesus and kneeling down begged him . . .” (Mark 1:40).  There were lots of people during the time of our Lord Jesus Christ and even during the time of Moses and his brother Aaron who were sick with different illnesses, diseases, possessed by demons or evil spirits, and worst them all the leprosy.  “The Lord said to Moses and Aaron, ‘If someone has on his skin a scab or pustule [boil, abscess, pimple, etc.] or blotch [blemish, spot, imperfection, red mark] which appears to be 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’.” (Lev. 13: 1-2, 44).  This man with leprosy was brave enough to show himself to the rest of the people in the community and to Jesus, for having leprosy is a curse, to become an outcast of society, and even in his own family and household.  What a sad condition of those people who have leprosy.  (Kaawa-awa ang kalagayan ng may ketong, pinandidirihan sila).  They were considered sinners who were punished of leprosy and other sicknesses by God.  They were declared dead by the priests, for that they cannot participate any longer in the activities of their synagogue to worship God and in the celebration of their community, and of their families.  “The one who bears the sore of leprosy shall keep his garments rent and his head bare, and shall muffle his beard . . .” (Lev. 13:45).  He cannot wear fine and good clothes; he cannot even shave his beard and head nor take a bath, but rather he wears a tottered and worn out clothes as a sign of repentance for his sins.  Maybe God will forgive him if he does this.  The leprous “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” (Lev. 13: 45-46).  Because of his uncleanness, they have to move out of the community and stayed in the secluded places like the desert, cemetery, wilderness, mountains and hills, and other isolated places far from the society; so that nobody might be contaminated in the community and the spread of contagious leprosy might be contained. 

But again, always and everywhere, because of his loving and compassionate heart, and because he does not want to see his people suffer a lot from misfortune of life, Jesus, “moved with pity, he stretched out his hand, touched him, and said to him, ‘I do will.  Be made clean’.” (Mark 1:41).  Again, as what he did to the mother-in-law of Peter, “he approached, grasped her hand, and helped her up” (Mark 1: 31), he did the same with this leprous man, “he stretched out his hand, touched him, and said.”  He did three actions in his ministry of the sick.  Again, he was not afraid to violate the Law in Leviticus (first reading).  What he saw was a man suffering not only from leprosy but of rejection of his society, being outcast in the community and driven away by his own family.  Jesus saw the brokenness of the leprous man.  He felt the aloneness and that no one took care of him or maybe he was already forgotten by his loved ones, but Jesus cannot forget the face of that man who begged him a healing.   The hurt of this leper in his heart and in his totality of his being and the experienced of loneliness made Jesus moved with pity to the man with leprosy, that is why Jesus was freely to stretch out his hand, to extend his hands to help the leper in his misery.   Truly the hands of the Lord God are long enough to reach us, to show how much He cares for us.  The worst thing Jesus did was he touched the man.  In the eyes of the Jews Jesus became unclean.  He made himself unclean when he touched the unclean man.  For so long a time, nobody touched this leper, only Jesus touched him for the first time in his life. As if Jesus is saying by his touch, “Do not worry, your sin is forgiven.”  Despite his crooked, deformed, tumutulong laway sa naaagnas at bukang mukha, full of pus and open wounds, and foul smell like decaying body, etc., Jesus did not hesitate to touch him, to assure him that there is God who takes care of him.  “And said to him, ‘I do will.  Be made clean.  The leprosy left him immediately, and he was made clean” (Mark 1:41-42).  In just mere words of Jesus, the leprosy was gone immediately.  The leper received total healing.  Jesus’ words have power and authority to bring back to the original state of life anyone who needs healing and of forgiveness of sin.

Jesus also true to his Jewish tradition in letting the leper to go and does what is prescribed by the Law in the Book of Leviticus.  “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” (Mark 1:44).  Jesus who is humble and simple, and lowly still respects and obeys the Law of God through Moses.  Jesus said this to the healed leper because only priests can guarantee of his healing and can declare that the leprosy is gone from him.  The priest after examining him and found out that he is cleansed already from leprosy will issue a certificate that he is now clean and can come back to his family, to his community and society, and to the synagogue where he can live a normal life. 

But the man who was healed from leprosy did not do what Jesus told him to do.  What he did, “the man went away and begun to publicize the whole matter.  He spread the report abroad. . .” (Mark 1: 45).  He rejoiced in the goodness of the Lord.  Maybe he sung the Psalm 32, “I turn to you, Lord, in time of trouble, and you fill me with the joy of salvation.”  The usual result after receiving restoration of life and health is to serve God in any way possible, like what the mother-in-law of Peter did when she became well.   He cannot contain the happiness he felt and the good health he received to himself and to a priest.  His heart was full of gratitude and overflowing joy that’s why he would like to share to others the joy and happiness he experienced.  This may also happen to us, the same with us when we received gift, special gift from a very special friend, our hearts were full of joy and happiness.  We wanted to share the gift we received to others, especially the gifts of life, love, happiness and joy, etc.  Nevertheless, the end result is that Jesus became also a leper, an outcast in the society and communities which “it was impossible for Jesus to enter a town openly.  He remained outside in deserted places” (Mark 1:45), but his leprosy is contagious, and it contaminated the people who were attracted to him so that they “kept coming to him from everywhere” (Mark 1:45).   Still he fulfills the will of his Father and our God.  “He told them, ‘Let us go on to the nearby village that I may preach there also.  For this purpose have I come’” (Mark 1: 38).  And his mission and ministry continue.