To read the texts click on the texts: Lev 13:1-2. 44-46; 1Cor 10:31-11:1; Mk 1:40-45
Satan stood at the
foot of the cross and asked Jesus, “What happens now to the work you began?”
And Jesus whispered,
“I do not need to worry, I have my disciples to carry it on!”
“Well, what happens
if they fail you, Son of Man?” Satan sneered.
“I have no
other plan,” Jesus sighed, and then he died.
The first
reading of today states, in very clear terms, why leprosy was considered such a
dreadful disease. The term ‘leprosy’ was used loosely for many kinds of skin
ailments. A person with such an ailment was to be brought to the priest, who
alone could declare the person clean. The leper was to wear torn clothes, have
disheveled hair and cover the lower part of the face. These actions were also
signs of mourning for the dead, similar to the state of death. The cry of
“Unclean, unclean” was, on the one hand, to warn others not to come near and,
on the other hand, a lament about one’s condition because it was considered as
divine punishment for serious sin. Living outside the camp was considered to be
living in the place most removed from the presence of God, a place to which the
sinner and the impure were banished.
It is in
this context that the Gospel text of today must be read. The leper approaches
Jesus as a suppliant and knows that Jesus can heal him. Jesus has only to will
it and it will be done. The anger of Jesus means, on the one hand, that Jesus
was angry about the fact that evil forces had taken such a hold of the man and
so, the anger was directed against these forces. It also means anger against
the establishment that ostracized persons and treated them as outcasts. The
reaching out to touch the leper means that Jesus cannot be defiled or made unclean
by touching someone considered unclean. The reaching out also confirms that the
anger of Jesus was primarily against those who would treat humans worse than
animals.
After the
leper is healed, he is told to show himself to the priest, who would declare him
clean and so, ready to resume his rightful place in society as a full human
being. This indicates that Jesus was concerned with complying with the law.
That the man is to do this, as :evidence against them”, seems to be polemical
and directed against the unbelieving as incriminating evidence of their
unbelief.
The
world today is plagued by different kinds of discriminations. We discriminate
on the basis of caste, religion, colour, language, social or economic status,
and the like. It is to those of us who engage in such discrimination that the
texts of today seem to be addressed. The ones who are discriminated against,
and often, for no fault of their own, are those who, like the leper, are
oppressed and outcasts. They are kept on the margins of society while the rest
of us continue to live as if they do not exist. While sometimes there is an
active shunning of these, at other times, it is done subtly, through
indifference. We pretend as if they do not exist. By his reaching out and
touching the leper, Jesus gives a strong message toi all of us that no one is
to be excluded from the love and mercy of God. No one is to be excluded from
the grace of God that flows equally on everyone. No one is to be excluded, or
discriminated against, simply because they speak a different language, or call
God by another name, or are of a different colour, or social and economic
status. Every person is a child of God and has the same rights and privileges
like the others.
This
is exactly what Paul means when he challenges the Corinthian community to
realize that they must do what they do for the glory of God, which, in its
barest essence, means that they must not give offence to anyone. In its
profound sense, it means that they will never seek their own advantage but
always the advantage of others. In this, they are to imitate Christ.
Jesus
has no plan other than the one in which he challenges his disciples to carry on
his mission of reconciliation, and reaching out, by imitating him. He would
want all who are willing to come, to be drawn to his Father, and would want to
draw all, without distinction. He would want all, without distinction, to be
made whole. He would want all, without distinction, to share in the riches of
God’s power and glory and unconditional love. Even as he draws those who are
discriminated against, he also draws the discriminators, to make them see the
folly of their ways and to realize that, when they make distinctions, they are
losing out on the beauty of life itself and are living isolated lives, lives without
meaning. These, too, are invited to open
themselves to the magnanimity of God’s abundant grace.
Re : Your opener
ReplyDeleteWhen he rose, Jesus said :"Errol will leave his prestigious career and follow me, continuing my work"
n
Fr. I am not able to comprehend your opening dialogue. Can you enlighten me?
ReplyDeleteThe opening dialogue means that Jesus has left it to us to carry on/continue his legacy. If we do not that, the good work Jesus began will remain unfinished.
DeleteThe opening dialogue means that Jesus has left it to us to carry on/continue his legacy. If we do not that, the good work Jesus began will remain unfinished.
DeleteDeeply appreciate your enlightened answer and the trouble you've taken to read the comments and respond, inspite of your very busy schedule. This reveals- that you dear Father Errol- are faithfully and lovingly continuing His good work,n
ReplyDelete