SIXTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME

«  Jesus continues to proclaim the Kingdom of God, healing all sorts of infirmities. 

«  Today he cures a leper. 

«  Paul invites us to imitate him, in the same way that he imitates Christ. 

BOOK OF   LEVITICUS

Ø  It is the third book of the Pentateuch, in Hebrew it is called    Wayyiqrā’ = “The one who calls”.

Ø  Te name Leviticus comes from the translation of the Vulgate  

Ø  The book is about the liturgical laws for the Jewish  priesthood. 

Ø  There are also other laws in this book. Laws related to the holiness in life, holiness in its holistic meaning: body soul, psychology, morality. 

Ø  THE AUTHOR – THE BOOK  

o   As it is the case with many other books of the Old Testament, it is difficult to mention one single author. The book has been formed through a very long period of time; therefore it is the contribution of many authors.  

o   It belongs to the “Priestly” tradition. 

o   It is strongly related to Moses.  

o   Although we find in the book some very ancient laws, in its present form it has been put together after the return from the Babylonian exile. 

o   The book has the following parts:  

I               THE LAW OF SACRIFICE. 

II             PRIESTLY ANNOINTING AND THE FIRST SACRIFICE. 

III            LAWS OF PROPER   FOOD AND BODILY PURITY.

IV            THE RITUAL OF THE DAY OF ATONEMENT .

V            MORAL AND ETHICAL LAWS ON HOLINESS AND RITUAL REQUIREMENT  FOR HOLINESS .

FIRST READING  Lv 13:1-2; 44-46

      The word “leprosy” meant several different skin affections. 

      Leprosy was in reality those affections of the skin that were infected and permanent. Not always what we call nowadays “leprosy.”

      When the sickness was declared by the priest, the person became impure due to his or her sickness, and was no allowed to live with his or her family, town. The person had to be isolated.

       It was a sickness that had painful consequences for the person who suffered from it. Whenever the person would approach the village or would hear persons approaching the place where he or she was, they have to shout “impure, impure."

      Let us think for a moment in the suffering not only physical, but psychological and spiritual of the leper. Let us reflect also how this sickness could make the person withdraw from his relationship with God.  If God is the one who gives the sickness, how can he be a loving God?  Why is he punishing me?

      People of that time thought that sickness had a direct relationship to the sins of the sick, either in the present or in the past.  

      In the laws there was a mixture of hygienic measures, and of the sacredness of the relationship of the human person with God.  

      The leprosy with its loss of members made the person not only impure, but also unfit for the worship of Yahweh. 

RESPONSORIAL PSALM – Ps 32: 1-2, 5, 11

The psalmist has confessed his sin and he has been forgiven, his fault has been taken away

I TURN TO YOU, LORD, IN TIME OF TROUBLE, AND YOU FILL ME WITH THE JOY OF SALVATION. 

Happy is he whose fault is taken away 

Whose sin is covered. 

Happy the man to whom the Lord imputes not guilt

 In whose spirit there is no guile  

I TURN TO YOU, LORD, IN TIME OF TROUBLE, AND YOU FILL ME WITH THE JOY OF SALVATION. 

Then I acknowledged my sin to you 

My guilt I covered not.  

I said “I confess my faults to the Lord.”  

And you took away the guilt of my sin.  

I TURN TO YOU, LORD, IN TIME OF TROUBLE, AND YOU FILL ME WITH THE JOY OF SALVATION. 

Be glad in the Lord, and rejoice you just; 

Exult all you upright of heart.

I TURN TO YOU, LORD, IN TIME OF TROUBLE, AND YOU FILL ME WITH THE JOY OF SALVATION.   

The psalmist explains very well the joy that the leper experienced when he was declared cured. He was physically cured, but most of all spiritually and socially cured.

The leprosy has been compared many times to sin which, as the leprosy destroys the body of the person, destroys the soul of the person and even destroys society. 

GOSPEL – MARK 1:40-45

ü  Mark describes in this first chapter a great number of works done by Jesus in only one day, 

ü  Probably these works were not done in a single day, but Mark wants to tell his community and ourselves that there is urgency in the proclamation of the Good News. 

ü  The leper approaches Jesus and he tells him that if he wants he can cure him. 

ü  Jesus touches the leper and the man is cured. 

ü  Jesus touches a man who is impure, that caused the person to become also legally impure. 

ü  Jesus does not follow our human laws which do not take into consideration the wellbeing and the dignity of each human being. 

ü  The Father through Jesus continues to touch our human reality, wounded, sick, and impure and heals us.  He tells us through the mouth of Jesus “Yes I want you to be clean.”    

ü  Jesus asks the man to fulfill what the law prescribed in case of a cure

ü  Only in so doing he will be able to go back to his community and family. 

ü  Mark tells us at the end of the chapter that the people continue to seek him, and that Jesus has to take refuge in lonely places, but even there they find him. 

SECOND READING Co 10:31-11:1

• Paul speaks to his community about Christian freedom even in relation to food. 
• He reflects on eating meat sacrificed to the idols. Te Christian person can eat anything because he or she does not believe in idols; but if this behavior causes other brothers and sisters from the community to sin, then it is better not to eat it.  
• He says today that they should do what gives glory to God. 
• That they should seek the good of all, not their own convenience, imitating what Paul does in order to cooperate to the salvation of his brothers and sisters.  

BIBLIOGRAPHY

FALEY, ROLAND J., T.O.R. “Leviticus” in The New Jerome Biblical Commentary, Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey 1988.

FLOR SERRANO, GONZALO. “Salmos” en Comentario al Antiguo Testamento II, Casa de la Biblia, 1997.

LOZANO, Juan Manuel, Escritos María Antonia París, Estudio crítico, “El Misionero Apostólico”.   Barcelona 1985.

VIÑAS, José María cmf y BERMEJO, Jesús, cmf.  “Autobiography” of St. Anthony Mary Claret.  

CLARETIAN CORNER  

 

First and foremost the Apostolic Missionary must conform his life, person and customs with his Divine Master Jesus Christ.

He must observe faithfully the Rules and Constitutions of his Institute and make them be observed by the people under him.

In the management of his house, he must be vigilant that nothing that is necessary is lacking because for carelessness of the superiors in this matter, many serious problems arise.

María Antonia París, Foundress of the Claretian Missionary Sisters. The Apostolic Missionary, 2.1-2.4,2.5

During my stay in Viladrau all the sick of the town, as well as those who were brought there from other places, were cured. As word of this spread, in whatever town I went to, people would bring me a large number of sick persons suffering from all kinds of illness. There were so many sick and so many different illnesses, and I was so busy hearing confessions, that I didn't have time for prescribing physical remedies. I told the people, instead, that I would commend them to God, and in the meantime I would make the sign of the Cross over them    After I did this, they said that they were cured.

St. Anthony Mary Claret, Founder of the Claretian Missionary Sisters. Autobiography 180.