12TH FRIDAY HOMILY OF THE ORDINARY TIME — YEAR A
HOMILY THEME: „LORD, IF YOU WISH, YOU CAN MAKE ME CLEAN“
BY: Fr. Mike Lagrimas
2 Kings 25:1-12; Ps. 136(137):1-6; Matthew 8:1-4
When Jesus came down from the mountain, great crowds followed him. And then a leper approached, did him homage, and said, “Lord, if you wish, you can make me clean.” He stretched out his hand, touched him, and said, “I will do it. Be made clean.” His leprosy was cleansed immediately. Then Jesus said to him, “See that you tell no one, but go show yourself to the priest, and offer the gift that Moses prescribed; that will be proof for them.”
Leprosy is a dreaded disease because it is horrible in appearance and contagious. And the person who is afflicted with this disease is doubly miserable, especially in the Jewish society. Since it is a contagious disease with no cure, the lepers have to live in isolation, far away from their family and community. But more than that, the Jews believed that leprosy and other diseases are punishment of God for their sins. So, in the eyes of the whole community, they are damned.
ALSO RECOMMENDED: 12TH FRIDAY HOMILY OF THE ORDINARY TIME
Lepers are also human persons, with rights and dignity. No one wants to be afflicted with this disease. To be in this situation is truly unfortunate. But instead of compassion, care and understanding from others, they are ostracized and condemned. People do not want to be near them, not only for fear of being infected, but also of being considered ritually unclean. In all aspects of social life, therefore, a leper is considered living dead.
That is why Jesus shows special concern and care for them. When a leper approaches Him, He has nothing but overwhelming compassion and mercy to him. For Jesus, he is a person who needed love and care more than anybody else. So His response was immediate: “He stretched out his hand, touched him, and said, ‘I will do it. Be made clean.’” He cures the leper instantly. Imagine the horror of the onlookers. He stretched out His hand and touched him. He is not afraid of being infected nor of being considered ritually unclean. At that moment, His only concern is to give the sick person as soon as possible healing and freedom from the disease so that he regains his true dignity as a human person.
The healing, then, that Jesus performed was not only physical, but total. Healed of his ailment, the person can now go back to his family and be re-integrated into normal society. He received not only healing but new life as well. Such indeed, is the mission of Jesus: “I came so that they might have life and have it more abundantly” (Jn 10:10).
The Gospel today is telling us three things: First, Jesus is the divine healer. There is nothing impossible with Him because he is God. He has the power to cure all kinds of illness if He wants to. And He uses as His human instruments the doctors, nurses, medicines and hospitals in bringing about healing and well-being to His people.
Second, the love and mercy of Jesus is universal. He is against segregation and discrimination of people. In his eyes, all people – sinners and saints, rich and poor, sick and healthy – are all God’s children who deserve to be loved and cared for.
Third, Jesus performs his miracles in response to the faith of the person. Faith is the precondition for the wondrous deeds of Jesus to take place. The leper’s words of request express this humble faith: “Lord, if you wish, you can make me clean.”
In our time, the leper can be a symbol for all those who are marginalized by societies for one reason or another – the poor, the foreigners, people of a different color or culture or religion, the victims of drug abuse, alcoholics, AIDS/HIV victims, gays and lesbians. Like Jesus, may we have true compassion and care for them as members of the Church that espouses preferential option for the poor.
Let us reflect on what St. Teresa of Kolkata said, “When a poor person dies of hunger, it has not happened because God did not take care of him or her. It has happened because neither you nor I wanted to give that person what he or she needed.”
FOR A SIMILAR HOMILY, CLICK HERE>>>>>