6th Sunday of Year B, 14th February, 2021

May God in today's Eucharistic celebration, purify us from the leprosy of sin so that we may be fully united with him.

Happy Sunday!

 

DOCTRINE AND FAITH
(Lev 13, 1-2.45-46; 1 Cor. 10,31-11,1; Mark 1,40-45; 6th Sunday of Year B, 14th February, 2021)

This Sunday's Gospel tells us about the purification of a leper. It is prepared from the first reading, which speaks of lepers according to the Old Testament. The second reading has only an indirect relationship with the Gospel, in that it invites us to do everything for the glory of God, just as Jesus did everything, and performed this purification, for the glory of God.

We must first note an inaccuracy in many English versions of the Bible in using the word cure or heal to represent the Greek word katharisai in the Gospel passage of today. The translations present the term healing three times: the leper begs Jesus, saying: If you want, you can heal me; Jesus replies: I want it, get well; Immediately the leprosy disappeared and he recovered. In reality, the original text does not speak of healing, but of purification. Leprosy was considered an impurity, rather than a disease, which made it even more serious. In this episode the leper begs Jesus to purify him, and Jesus purifies him.

The first reading shows us how leprosy was considered in the Old Testament. The book of Leviticus dedicates two long chapters to it (cf., Lev 13-14). The first concerns the diagnosis of this disease. It is the priest who must make the diagnosis, precisely, because leprosy is considered an impurity, which results in the separation of the leper from the community. The leper is isolated, because contact with him propagates the impurity, thus making other people unable to participate in the cult. This segregation constitutes a very painful fact for lepers. In Leviticus, priests receive, very precise, instructions to check if there is sore, tumour or pustule (a small pimple or blister on the skin containing pus) that are signs of leprosy. If they are, the leper is removed from the community. Leviticus says: The leper affected by leprosy will wear torn garments and his head uncovered, he will cover his beard and will go shouting: Unclean! Unclean! He will be unclean as long as he has the wound/sore; and as unclean, he stays alone, and dwells outside the camp. The condition of the leper is truly painful, because he is struck by God and separated from all humans. This fact is more painful for him than the disease itself. In fact, a physical illness arouses people’s passion, who come to console and help him the sick. Usually, illness is not an occasion for segregation. On the other hand, leprosy is, because it is considered an impurity from the religious point of view. For this reason, the leper of the Gospel does not ask Jesus for healing, but for purification. Jesus grants it to him, and then says to him: Go, present yourself to the priest, and offer for your purification what Moses has ordered, as a testimony for them. In the book of Leviticus, the chapter dedicated to the diagnosis of the various possible cases of leprosy or a similar disease is followed by the chapter concerning the case of purification. When leper was cured - or better, purified -they must present themselves to the priest, who has the task of verifying that the leprosy has really disappeared. In this circumstance the leper must offer sacrifices, called sacrifices for the purification of leprosy.

In the Gospel, Jesus feels compassion for the leper as the leper approached him. We can easily understand this, because the condition of the leper is a painful condition, which arouses pity. Jesus’ heart is full of compassion towards this leper. What does Jesus do then? He stretches out his hands, touches him and tells him: I want it, be purified! The most striking thing is that Jesus touches the leper, because this is absolutely forbidden by law. Touching a leper means being infected from the religious point of view, that is, becoming impure.

Jesus touches the leper, and in this case the influence does not go from the leper to him to communicate the infection to him, but from him to communicate the purification. Jesus’ purity proves to be contagious in a very positive way: contact with him purifies the leper. Instead of being infected by the impurity of the leper, he communicates his purity to him. May we then admire both the compassion and the audacity of Jesus, who is not concerned with contagion, but concerned with communicating purity and health.

In the Church leprosy is, traditionally, presented as an image of sin. Today it is no longer thought that it can be a cause of impurity, no disease is a consequence of impurity. Illness is only a physical fact, which is not linked to a person's religious situation. In fact, in this case, a person can be even more united with God, because illness brings precious graces with it. But it is also true that sin is a true leprosy: it is what makes us unclean before God. Therefore, we need to be cleansed. Then we too can and must address the invocation addressed to the Lord by the drunkard: If you will, you can purify me. And in the sacrament of reconciliation, the Lord tells us: I want it, be purified! Thus, the leprosy of sin disappears, and we are fully readmitted into the Christian community, we return to participate in the relationship with God, in communion with the Holy Spirit and in the love of the Lord. In this Gospel passage, we can also see how Jesus does not seek to advertise himself, but intends to act with great discretion. He doesn't do miracles to be loved; on the contrary, he wants us not to talk about it; therefore, he says to the cured leper: Be careful not to tell anyone anything, but go, introduce yourself to the priest, to fulfil the law, as every good Jew does. However, the leper is so happy with his purification that he cannot help but divulge the fact. This made it impossible for Jesus to enter the city publicly, he then secluded himself in a deserted place.

In the second reading, Paul invites us to imitate Christ. He tells this to us in an indirect form, as he affirms: Be my imitators as I am imitator of Christ. We are called to imitate Christ. Therefore, we must always be full of compassion towards all those who suffer, and also towards sinners, who are separated from the Christian community on account of their fault and no longer have a positive relationship with God and the community. We must be imitators of Christ, in order to maintain communion and positive relationship with God and with our brothers and sisters. We are called to imitate Christ. Therefore, we must do everything for the glory of God, as Jesus did. On the other hand, we must strive to please everyone in everything, without seeking personal profit, but that of many, as Paul did. We are always in the evangelical perspective of the twofold dimension of love: love for God - doing everything for the glory of God - and love for others, in union with God. In the episode of the purification of the leper, Jesus gives us the example, and we, with his grace, can and must imitate him. Thus, his kingdom will be able to extend, and all people will be able to become more like brothers and sisters, full of peace and joy. +John I. Okoye

(graphics by Charles O  Chukwubike)