DAILY- HOMILY

FEBRUARY 12, 2012
6TH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME – B

Lv 13:1-2, 44-46 / 1Cor 10:31-11:1 / Mk 1:40-45, Green

LEVITICUS 13:1-2, 44-46
Yahweh said to Moses and Aaron, "If someone has a boil, an
inflammation or a sore on his skin which could develop into leprosy,
he must be brought to Aaron the priest, or to one of the priests, his
descendants. this means that the man is leprous: he is unclean. The
priest shall declare him unclean; he is suffering from leprosy of the
head. A person infected with leprosy must wear torn clothing and leave
his hair uncombed; he must cover his upper lip and cry, "Unclean, un
clean." As long as the disease lasts he must be unclean; and therefore
he must live away from others: he must live outside the camp.

1 CORINTHIANS 10:31-11:1
Then, whether you eat, or drink, or whatever you do, do it for the
glory of God. Give no offense to the Jews, or to the Greeks, or to the
Church of God, just as I try to please everyone in everything. I do
not seek my own interest, but that of many, this is: that they be
saved. Follow my example as I follow the example of Christ.

MARK 1:40-45
A leper came to Jesus and begged him, "If you want to, you can make
me clean." Moved with pity, Jesus stretched out his hand and touched
him, saying, "I do want to; be clean." The leprosy left the man at
once and he was made clean. As Jesus sent the man away, he sternly
warned him, "Don't tell anyone about this, but go and show yourself to
the priest, and for the cleansing bring the offering ordered by Moses;
in this way you will give to them your testimony." However, as soon as
the man went out, he began spreading the news everywhere, so that
Jesus could no longer openly enter any town. But even though he stayed
in the rural areas, people came to him from everywhere.

REFLECTION
Leprosy was a dreaded disease, less because of the physical harm and
more because of the social harm it inflicts. Incurable, the leper must
live alone, away from his family. Many Jews regarded leprosy as a
punishment from God for sins committed. This leper must have felt
forsaken by God and hated by humanity every day of his life. Then he
heard about Jesus, he with the healing powers and miracles, in the
neighborhood; and he said: "Here's my chance to ask God for help and
healing!" He bravely yet humbly approached Jesus, fell on his knees,
and said: "Lord if you are willing, you can make me clean." The Gospel
says: "Filled with compassion, Jesus reached out his hand and touched
the man." And he said five of the most beautiful words in all of
scripture. "I am willing. Be clean."

In this is a remarkable verse, we see the compassion of Christ. He
really does feel what we are going through, and He really does care.
He was willing to make himself ceremonially unclean so that the leper
could be clean – a preview of what will happen to him on the cross.
With five simple words and a touch of his hand, Jesus saved this man
and healed him physically, spiritually, and emotionally.

When Jesus died for our sins, he took upon himself all of our
uncleanness, so that we could be cleansed by his blood. Jesus did not
need to touch this man in order to heal him. He could have healed him
from a great distance. But Jesus touched this man as a tangible
expression of his compassion.

This passage is not meant to teach us that it is always God's will to
heal every disease. It is meant to teach us that Jesus is willing to
do whatever it takes to make us clean before Almighty God. The word of
the Lord for us is that "I am willing to make your life beautiful once
again. I am able to save you in every way that a person can be saved.
I am willing to do tremendous acts of righteousness in your life."
That is what Jesus does for us.

The Gospel says that when Jesus uttered the words of healing,
immediately the leprosy left the leper and he was cured. When Jesus
touches our lives, immediately our sins are cleansed and washed away.
We are adopted into the family of God. The Holy Spirit comes upon us.

The reason Jesus told the man not to spread the news of his healing
was that Jesus was not interested in becoming a celebrity healer,
unlike preachers on TV who enjoy the celebrity status associated with
their ministries. Another reason was that Jesus did not want to thrill
people into belief. He knows that real faith happens when people are
convinced by his teaching, not by the spectacle of seeing someone get
healed. St. Paul would say: "Faith comes by hearing the message, and
the message is heard through the word of Christ." That day, Jesus did
an amazing thing in the life of that Jewish leper. Jesus wants us to
know that he is willing to do great things in our lives as well.

From this story about the leper, we must realize that Jesus has the
power to cleanse. In many ways, leprosy is like sin. Sin does its
worst damage by eating away at us, penetrating deep inside, causing us
eventually to lose all feeling toward what is good and right. Sin will
cause us to be isolated from God's people, from God himself. And
eventually, like leprosy, sin will destroy us. Just like the leper, we
alone cannot rid ourselves of sin. We go to Jesus, as this leper did,
and we say, "I want to be cleansed."

PRAYER REQUESTS
We pray …
… for a deep and profound respect for life, especially for the
unborn.
… for the speedy recovery and healing of
- Tung-Jou Sheh
- Morgan Fodge
- Bob Barsotti
- Mon Torres
- Rakkie Villa
… for the personal intentions of
- Netta, Vera, Nick, Maureen, Martha, Jane, Delores, Linda O, Mary Ann
& Frank
- Dana & Eugene R
- Pauline
… for the eternal repose of the souls of
- Ralph Shotswell
- Florentino N. Villamer, Jr.
Eternal rest grant unto them and may perpetual light shine upon them.
May they and all the dearly departed rest in peace.
… for all the prayer intentions in the MTQ Dailyprayer Diary.
- Birthday: Diane Stephanie Ching
- Birthday: Lourdes K. Granados
- Birthday: Ofelia D. Domingo
- In Memoriam (+): Marcos Cu (1938-2000)+
… for families who are in need of healing
… for world peace and reconciliation.

Finally, we pray for one another, for those who have asked our prayers
and for those who need our prayers the most.

Have a good day!

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