Gospel: Mark 1:40-45
A leper came to Jesus and kneeling down begged him and said, “If you wish, you can make me clean.” Moved with pity, he stretched out his hand, touched him, and said to him, “I do will it. Be made clean.” The leprosy left him immediately, and he was made clean. Then, warning him sternly, he dismissed him at once. 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.” The man went away and began to publicize the whole matter. He spread the report abroad so that it was impossible for Jesus to enter a town openly. He remained outside in deserted places, and people kept coming to him from everywhere.
Homily
All human being are meant to live in community. One of the worst punishments that anyone can have is to be banished from community. With this in mind, it is easy to understand why leprosy is such a dreadful disease. Quite apart from the bodily disfiguration is the sense of alienation which it engenders. Even in places where, because of modern forms of treatment, lepers are no longer hidden away in leprosaria, no one will willingly admit to being a leper.
As we read or listen to the Gospel story and apply it to our own lives, we must be aware that leprosy is a symbol for all that alienates human beings, that keeps human beings feeling badly about themselves, that is an obstacle to true human development.
There are three moments in this Gospel story: first of all, the leper asks to be cleansed; secondly, Jesus cleanses the leper, and thirdly, the leper goes and does what the law prescribes that cleansed lepers must do.
There is not much information on the main ingredient aside from the fact that it is derived from a specific kind of sexual issue. sildenafil uk buy Erectile dysfunction has become a major issue in holding up with an erection. discount viagra pharmacy The greatest suggested measurement is one tablet for every day. viagra samples uk Hey! I thought they were for sale levitra supposed to help prevent stroke and heart attacks! Diuretics flush the body of fluid and sodium. These three moments are present in all of our lives. Either because we have been alienated or because we have the opportunity to reintegrate others who have been alienated themselves.
When we find ourselves in situations of alienation, whether through our own fault or through the malice of others, we must want to be re-integrated. We must live with the hope of reintegration and do what is necessary for that reintegration to come about. Unless people have hope that they can in fact be useful members of society there is no stimulus for reintegration. The leper in the gospel story went to Jesus so that he could be cleansed. In the same way if black South Africans had not asked for, indeed demanded to be equal members in South African society they would still be oppressed.
At times people are so broken that they lose all hope and just exist. They do not have the strength to seek reintegration into the society that has rejected them. We have it in our power to reintegrate persons who are on the outside or on the margins whether they seek it or not. We can give to others a sense of belonging. In cleansing the leper Jesus returned to this leper the sense that he belonged again to a community, a community of good people, a community of people who worshipped the true God. This was in fact the genius of Mother Teresa of Calcutta. She gave to those dying on the streets of Calcutta the sense that they belonged to a community of love. To belong to a community of love is in fact what all of us desire; it is what makes us all happy. We may belong to other communities. In fact we will gravitate to other communities if rejected by our own community but if we do not belong to a community of love, we are never truly happy.
When we are reintegrated we do what reintegrated persons do. We express our thanks in our lifestyle. We try to be productive members of the society that has reintegrated us.
The gospel for this weekend poses many questions but to us who are integrated into communities, we must ask ourselves whether we are sensitive to those who find themselves on the outside or on the margins. To be sensitive to those on the outside or on the margins is in fact the true tradition of our church. In the words of Pope Benedict “it is an indispensable expression of the church’s very being.” It was and is the way of life of all the saints.
Prayer
All powerful and ever-loving God, You call us to be as compassionate as You are compassionate. You revealed Your compassion to us in the life of Your son Jesus who spent His life re-integrating those in the society who found themselves on the outside or on the margins. We live in a society and culture which more and more alienates their brothers and sisters. Help us like Jesus to work against that trend so that in a world which loves less and less, we may help others to experience Your love. Give us the grace by our actions to help others to know and experience that they form part of a community, a community of good people, a community of people who love and who worship the true God. We ask this through Mary our Mother and her Son and Your son Jesus. Amen
