Sixth Sunday in Ordinary time
Leviticus 13: 1-2, 44-46;
1 Corinthians 10: 31 - 11:1;
Mark 1: 40-45;
For time immemorial, leprosy has carried a stigma; despite there having been a complete cure through penicillin for sixty odd years; the tradition of discrimination and social exclusion remain present today, where lepers are still shunned because of their deformity, or because others are afraid of catching the disease.
Leviticus tells us that after contracting the dreaded disease, lepers had to warn others of their presence and live apart; they had to leave family, friends and way of life; it was, literally, a living death.
Today's Gospel sees a leper not only approaching Jesus, but talking to Him as he makes his desperate plea to be healed. Jesus breaks the Law and tradition in another way by actually touching the man. Instantly, the roles are reversed: having broken the Law, Jesus is then Himself forced to live outwit the community in a deserted place, in spite of which, people still flocked to Him. lt's no accident that Jesus sends the cured man to the priests, in order to fulfil the Law.
Today, the Sacraments essentially do the same thing: the Sacrament of Anointing for those who are sick or dying; the Sacrament of Reconciliation healing the wounds which we inflict upon ourselves by sin, while in the Sacrament of the Mass, the Eucharist, Christ is substantially present to offer us His healing grace.
Which of our rules might Jesus break if He were walking around today? Which practices might we have to challenge in order to get close to Him? Who are society's social outcasts in today's world? How do we relate to HIV/Aids sufferers, people with mental illness, the homeless, those claiming benefit, LGBT. Are there people we wouldn't want to touch with a barge pole, to reach out to, or be associated with in any way? Or, reversing the roles, have we ever been in the leper's position - totally isolated before experiencing Jesus in the same way as he did, healed and restored to physical or spiritual wholeness?
Like the leper, we are called to be messengers, witnesses to God's healing power - not just with words, but by actions as well. We follow Him every time we reach out and cross boundaries to contact those who are shunned and in need of healing. Jesus saw the whole person behind the illness and the stigma. He was deeply moved and acted immediately, stretching out His hand to touch him.
Perhaps we might reach out of our comfortable worshipping community to others in the course of this week - a family member whom we've cut off, a neighbour whom we've neglected, despised or ignored. And in doing so, we'll be reaching out and playing our part in building up the Kingdom of God. Let's give thanks to Jesus Who heals the leper in today's Gospel, and Who heals us also with His grace and love.