FR. MATUGAS VIVINO
6th Sunday of Ordinary Time - Cycle B
6th Sunday of Ordinary Time - Cycle B
Both readings in today`s Sunday, talk about leprosy and lepers. Through these readings we can get a clear idea and a feeling of misery about this kind of disease. It was a common sickness during the time of Jesus but also down through the ages and in our present time.
In the Philippines there are many lepers walking about and begging in the big cities. When I was a child, I was scared when seeing a leper passing nearby. Scared not because the person was sick, but scared because of the dreadful physical condition that the person had: the face deformed, the fingers half eaten, the whole body so ugly.
This is the feeling that jogs my memory me when I read the first reading from the book of Leviticus (13:44-46): "A man infected with leprosy will cry, 'Unclean, Unclean'". This is a painful story. A leper had to avoided and isolated from society. Likewise in the Gospel (Mk. 1:40-45), a leper came to Jesus pleading to be cured and Jesus cured him at once.
What comes to my mind now is the figure of a missionary, who is now a saint, St. Damian of the Molokai island, in Hawaii. He volunteered to work in a leper colony. He lived with them, ate with them and worked for them. After 11 years of stay in the colony, he contracted their sickness of leprosy. The story goes that one Sunday, during the celebration of the Mass, he said to the people: " today is a feast day for us lepers..."!
It is a really moving story. A man, a simple missionary priest, gave his entire life to that task and contracted leprosy from the people whom he served so lovingly.
In the Gospel story, Jesus stretched out his hand and touched the leper. For Jesus, the leper was not "unclean": He was simply a human being in a desperate need. He had great understanding and compassion for the leper.
We ourselves and our society are contaminated with leprosy. Not the kind of skin disease described in the story, but a corruption disease, a sin disease. A disease that destroys human life condition. It makes life totally unbalanced. This kind of disease in society is very difficult to cure.
We need renewal of minds and hearts to eradicate this corruption disease in ouselves and in our society. St. Paul, in the second reading (Cor. 11:1) says, "take me for your model, as I take Christ. ".
Both readings in today`s Sunday, talk about leprosy and lepers. Through these readings we can get a clear idea and a feeling of misery about this kind of disease. It was a common sickness during the time of Jesus but also down through the ages and in our present time.
In the Philippines there are many lepers walking about and begging in the big cities. When I was a child, I was scared when seeing a leper passing nearby. Scared not because the person was sick, but scared because of the dreadful physical condition that the person had: the face deformed, the fingers half eaten, the whole body so ugly.
This is the feeling that jogs my memory me when I read the first reading from the book of Leviticus (13:44-46): "A man infected with leprosy will cry, 'Unclean, Unclean'". This is a painful story. A leper had to avoided and isolated from society. Likewise in the Gospel (Mk. 1:40-45), a leper came to Jesus pleading to be cured and Jesus cured him at once.
What comes to my mind now is the figure of a missionary, who is now a saint, St. Damian of the Molokai island, in Hawaii. He volunteered to work in a leper colony. He lived with them, ate with them and worked for them. After 11 years of stay in the colony, he contracted their sickness of leprosy. The story goes that one Sunday, during the celebration of the Mass, he said to the people: " today is a feast day for us lepers..."!
It is a really moving story. A man, a simple missionary priest, gave his entire life to that task and contracted leprosy from the people whom he served so lovingly.
In the Gospel story, Jesus stretched out his hand and touched the leper. For Jesus, the leper was not "unclean": He was simply a human being in a desperate need. He had great understanding and compassion for the leper.
We ourselves and our society are contaminated with leprosy. Not the kind of skin disease described in the story, but a corruption disease, a sin disease. A disease that destroys human life condition. It makes life totally unbalanced. This kind of disease in society is very difficult to cure.
We need renewal of minds and hearts to eradicate this corruption disease in ouselves and in our society. St. Paul, in the second reading (Cor. 11:1) says, "take me for your model, as I take Christ. ".