Sixth Sunday of Ordinary Time, Cycle B
Sunday, February 14, 2021
First Reading
Leviticus 13:1-2,44-46
The Law regarding leprosy is given to Moses and Aaron.
Responsorial Psalm
Psalm 32:1-2,5,11
A prayer of contrition and confession for sin.
Second Reading
1 Corinthians 10:31—11:1
Paul urges the Corinthians to imitate him as he imitates Christ.
Gospel Reading
Mark 1:40-45
Jesus cures a person with leprosy, who reports his cure to everyone.
Martin was a young soldier in the Roman army. Elegantly dressed, he was mounted on his horse one day when he was accosted by a leper begging for alms. The sight and the stench of rotting flesh were so repulsive to the sensitivities of young Martin that his first instincts were to ride off on his horse. But something inside him made his walk up to the beggar. Since all he had was his military coat, he cut it in two and gave half to the leper while he wrapped himself with the other half. It was a very cold winter day. Many in the crowd thought this was so ridiculous a sight that they laughed and jeered but some realized that they were seeing Christian goodness. He was eighteen years old. That night in his dream he saw Christ clothed in a half coat saying to the angels around his throne, “Martin has clothed me with his garment.” This event was the turning point in the life of him who was to become St Martin of Tours.
Today’s Gospel narrates the miracle of Jesus healing of a leper. Leprosy was a dreaded disease during the time of Jesus as it was in the Old Testament. In Palestine leprosy was looked upon as an incurable disease. Lepers were not meant to live in the city with the people and could not have any contact with them. They had to live on their own, away from people where their families would leave some food for them. They were considered to be truly cursed by God. If they had a reason to go to the town they would have had to carry a bell with them. They would constantly ring this bell as they walked and cried out “Unclean, Unclean”, informing people to keep away from them because they were struck with a very contagious disease. Generally the term Leprosy was used to describe a wide variety of skin diseases and as such the person was considered to be ritually unclean according to the Law of Moses. They were excluded and isolated from the ordinary interactions of society. Here we are not given any information as to why this leper alone thought Jesus could heal him. Certainly there were other Lepers in Palestine during that time. Perhaps he had heard about the healing capacity of Jesus. He simply comes to Jesus and makes a request with the words: “If you want to, you can heal me.” This was a bold move on the part of the leper, given the seriousness of the disease and the problem of uncleanness. He comes with confidence to Jesus and places his trust in him with the sure hope that this prophet is capable of healing him and he could re-join the society.
Pope John Paul II has declared February 11, feast of Our Lady of Lourdes, as the World Day of the Sick. Leprosy, thank God, has become a curable disease. Yet the tendency to see some diseases as divine punishment and to ostracize those who suffer from them is still with us. I have come across some catchy interpretations when the covid-19 struck the entire world. Out of fear of the Covid-19 many were left unattended. Many said that the Covid-19 is divine punishment for sin. Jesus challenges us today to abandon such dehumanizing beliefs and reach out in solidarity with these modern-day lepers among us, just as he himself did in his own days.
On this day, I, along with my 12 companions will be ordained deacons in the DNC, Pune Chapel. We ask you to specially pray for us as we commit ourselves to God, that we may remain remain faithful to our calling and thus we be the healers and reconcilers in this world.
(You are most welcome to add your reflections in the comment section below)
All the best Br. Anush, God bless you, we pray for you all.
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