{"id":2417,"date":"2018-02-11T12:30:26","date_gmt":"2018-02-11T17:30:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.renewaloffaith.org\/blog\/?p=2417"},"modified":"2018-02-11T12:30:26","modified_gmt":"2018-02-11T17:30:26","slug":"6th-sunday-in-ordinary-time-year-b-homily-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.renewaloffaith.org\/blog\/6th-sunday-in-ordinary-time-year-b-homily-2\/","title":{"rendered":"6th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year B – Homily"},"content":{"rendered":"

6th<\/sup> Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year B<\/a>
\nLeviticus 13:1-2, 44-46
\nPsalm 32:1-2, 5, 11 (7)
\n1 Corinthians 10:31-11:1
\nMark 1:40-45
\nFebruary 11, 2018<\/p>\n

This leper came to Jesus in need of healing.\u00a0 He knelt before Jesus and begged for help.\u00a0 He expressed faith that Jesus can make him clean.<\/p>\n

We are told Jesus was \u201cmoved with pity<\/em>\u201d.\u00a0 Why?\u00a0 Jesus has already healed many people but we have not heard of him being \u201cmoved with pity<\/em>\u201d.\u00a0 What makes this time different?<\/p>\n

Simon\u2019s mother-in-law had a fever that Jesus healed her of.\u00a0 For others, we are simply told they were ill.\u00a0 Today the man\u2019s illness is named.\u00a0 He is a leper.<\/p>\n

In biblical terms, leprosy is a broad illness covering skin diseases.\u00a0 The whole thirteenth chapter of the Book of Leviticus is dedicated to these diseases.<\/p>\n

If a person had a skin disease, they were brought to the priest who would examine them in accord with Leviticus and, if appropriate, declared them unclean.<\/p>\n

Why would you go to the priest for a physical illness?\u00a0 We go to see medical doctors for physical illnesses.\u00a0 Yet, for leprosy a person would be declared unclean.\u00a0 They were to keep their garments rent and head bare.\u00a0 If anyone tried to come near them, they had to shout out, \u201cUnclean, unclean!<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n

They had to \u201cdwell apart..outside the camp<\/em>.\u201d\u00a0 This was not punishment.\u00a0 It was to isolate them so that others would not become ill.\u00a0 They were separated from the community.\u00a0 I think this is why they were sent to the priest, not for medical treatment, but realizing the significance of the lepers being separated from the community.<\/p>\n

This isolation suffered by the leper is at the heart of why Jesus was moved with pity for the leper.\u00a0 He had been separated from the community.\u00a0 He was alone.\u00a0 The \u201caloneness\u201d, the lack of community, could be worse than the disease.<\/p>\n

Left alone, we can feel like no one cares.<\/p>\n

Isolation is something we still do today.\u00a0 When we are ill, we are told to stay home to not spread germs.\u00a0 Even in church, we take precautions by not holding hands if we might be sick.\u00a0 At the Sign of Peace, we refrain from shaking heads if one might be ill.\u00a0 These are smart medical practices.<\/p>\n

When we are the one who is ill, we know these are the right things to do but it can be hard.\u00a0 Most illnesses are just for a few days and so we get by.\u00a0 Leprosy could go on and on.\u00a0 Who knows how long the man might have been alone, never touched.<\/p>\n

Jesus touched the man.\u00a0 The man was healed of leprosy but that touch was so important.\u00a0 It was Jesus loving him.\u00a0 Think of someone coming to you when you are in bed sick.\u00a0 Who might touch you without using a gown and gloves?\u00a0 Think of a time when you were sick as a child.\u00a0 Who came to you?\u00a0 Perhaps a parent who loved you.\u00a0 Think of what their touch meant in that moment.<\/p>\n

How does being \u201calone\u201d make us feel?\u00a0 As I ask this question, I want to move away from being physically alone to something more.\u00a0 You might think of an immigrant\/migrant who comes to a new place.\u00a0 They might be near other people but no one they know.\u00a0 Even in a crowd, they feel alone.\u00a0 They feel like no one cares.<\/p>\n

Chances are you have sat in the same pew for a long time.\u00a0 Do you know the people around you?\u00a0 What do you do when you see a new face?\u00a0 Do you make them feel welcome?\u00a0 Do you show concern for them?<\/p>\n

Or are you more concerned for yourself?\u00a0 Imagine yourself sitting in your pew and you see a new face come in with young children.\u00a0 What is your reaction?\u00a0 Are you worried that the children won\u2019t keep quiet during Mass or are you glad to see new children at Mass?\u00a0 Jesus would be glad.<\/p>\n

If the children begin to make noise, do you grumble at the parents or tell them they have to take the children out?\u00a0 How does that make them feel?\u00a0 Unwanted?\u00a0 Unloved?\u00a0 Do you think they would ever come back?\u00a0 (Then, do you complain that young families don\u2019t come anymore?)<\/p>\n

Children should be taught to behave in church.\u00a0 This is a must.\u00a0 For this to happen they have to come to church.\u00a0 Welcome these families.\u00a0 Help them to feel loved.\u00a0 AFTER you show them love, maybe you can offer some support or guidance on helping their children to embrace being in church.\u00a0 But you can\u2019t do this if you don\u2019t make them feel welcome.<\/p>\n

The families with children are just one example.\u00a0 Look around you.\u00a0 How many faces do you see that you don\u2019t know.\u00a0 What can you do to help make sure no one feels alone?<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

6th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year B Leviticus 13:1-2, 44-46 Psalm 32:1-2, 5, 11 (7) 1 Corinthians 10:31-11:1 Mark 1:40-45 February 11, 2018 This leper came to Jesus in need of healing.\u00a0 He knelt before Jesus and begged for help.\u00a0 He expressed faith that Jesus can make him clean. We are told Jesus was \u201cmoved …<\/p>\n

Continue reading ‘6th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year B – Homily’ »<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false}}},"categories":[82],"tags":[401,403,404,402],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pMTPk-CZ","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.renewaloffaith.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2417"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.renewaloffaith.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.renewaloffaith.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.renewaloffaith.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.renewaloffaith.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2417"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/blog.renewaloffaith.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2417\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2418,"href":"https:\/\/blog.renewaloffaith.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2417\/revisions\/2418"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.renewaloffaith.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2417"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.renewaloffaith.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2417"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.renewaloffaith.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2417"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}