SIXTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME – CYCLE B – 2018  

«  Jesus continues his ministry of proclaiming the Kingdom, healing all sorts of sicknesses. 

«  Today Jesus makes clean a leper.  .  

BOOK OF THE LEVITICUS    

Ø  This third book of the Pentateuch, is called in Hebrew   Wayyiqrā’ = “and He called.”

Ø  The name Leviticus comes from the Latin translation of the Greek translation of the Bible that was made in times of the Old Testament   “Leuitikon.”

Ø  The name is well given since it is a book about liturgical laws for the priesthood of the Levites. 

Ø  Besides these laws there are other laws in regards to the holiness of life, in all its different aspects: physical, psychological and moral. 

THE AUTHOR  – THE BOOK 

o   As it is the case for all the books, it is difficult, impossible to know  who  the author is. The book was being formed over several centuries with the contribution of many hands. 

o   It belongs to the “priestly” tradition.  

o   The legislation points out to Moses.  

o   Although we find in this book some ancient laws, in its present shape the book belongs to the time of the return from the Babylonian exile.  

o   The book has the following parts:   

I           THE LAW OF SACRIFICE   

II          THE PRIESTLY ORDINATIONS 

III         THE LEGAL PURIFICATIONS 

IV         THE FEAST OF THE ATONEMENT   

V          THE CODE OF SANCTITY.   

FIRST READING  Lv 13:1-2; 44-46

      Leprosy was a skin disease, the skin looked infected and it was permanent, but it was not always the same disease we now call leprosy.  It included many other skin affections.

      The precautions and the rules for those who suffered this illness probably began as a hygiene regulation to protect the population.   

      As time went by, as it always is the case, even now we do many things without knowing its meaning because we do not know why they began. 

      If we add to these rules a religious meaning, then what was regulated for the good of the people becomes a heavy weight on the people.  Something that does not help as was the case with all the rules about leprosy.

      According to the religious belief of Israel, which we have already mentioned in another occasion, if you are good things will go well for you, if you are a sinner things will go bad for you. Thus if you are sick it is because you have sinned.    

      Than we understand the isolation of the sick person because he or she is a sinner, impure and has to be separated from the rest of the community, “outside the camp.”   

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

R. (7) I turn to you, Lord, in time of trouble, and you fill me with the joy of salvation.
Blessed is he whose fault is taken away,
whose sin is covered.
Blessed the man to whom the LORD imputes not guilt,
in whose spirit there is no guile.
R. 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.
R. 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.
R. I turn to you, Lord, in time of trouble, and you fill me with the joy of salvation.

The psalmist describes very well the joy of the leper when he is declared clean by the priest. He was cured physically but now he is also cured spiritually and socially, he is healed.   

GOSPEL  – MARK 1:40-45

ü  A leper, who as we have seen was subjected to   isolation and scorn, approaches Jesus.  

ü  He has heard that this new young Rabbi from Nazareth has cured and healed so many people, he never rejects anyone, he has compassion of all, He treats everyone with respect and dignity.   

ü  If you wish, you can make me clean.  Yes I do.

ü  Jesus as he pronounces these words “Yes, I do” touches the man.  

ü  As if He wanted to take that leprosy of that man and the scorn to which he has been subjected, on Him to destroy it in his person. It is like an anticipation of what He will do on the cross for all of us.   

ü  Yes I want to be one with you, yes I want you to go back to your loved ones, to your community, yes I want you to regain your self-esteem, yes I want you to discover the infinite love that God has for you, yes I want you to be happy. 

ü  Jesus is the fullness of God’s revelation, He is God among us. And He, who has come to announce the good news of the Father’s love, says to us that the Father does not want us, sinners,  to be isolated, to suffer scorn, but he wants us to experience that God loves us, in such a way, that this experience makes us return to Him and in so doing find our happiness. 

   

SECOND READING  1 Cor 10:31-11:1

• Paul speaks to the members of the Community of Corinth, and invites them, that whatever they do (eat, drink, celebrate, work, pray, travel, rest….) do everything for the glory of God.   What does it mean to do everything for the glory of God?   
• The glory of God is the human being in its fullness,  that is,  a human being free with no other ties than the love of God manifested in the love for the other human beings. 
• How must that love to the other human beings be, in order to be true love for God,  
• To please everyone
• Not to seek our own interest    
• Do not be  the cause of scandal for anyone  
• And all of this to cooperate in the salvation of our brothers and sisters.   
• In a word, it is to take seriously our life as baptized persons and followers of Jesus.  

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.  “Autobiografía” de San Antonio María Claret en  San Antonio María Claret Autobiografia y Escritos Complementarios, edición bicentenario    Buenos Aires-Argentina 2008.

 CLARETIAN CORNER 

The missionary must be always kind and be all to all but without losing his composure and religious circumspection. Beware that due to his carelessness the veneration and respect ought to be given to the priestly character that he is invested, be lost. Do not familiarize with anybody but be kind to everybody. During his travels he must speak little and meditate very much.  His lodging in the cities be in the hospital. Do not play jokes to his brothers or companions of travel much less to (strangers). Do not argue with anybody, (…) but yield to everybody. (María Antonia París, Foundress of the Religious of Mary Immaculate Claretian Missionary Sisters, The Apostolic Missionary, 2.1-2.5)

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, saying, "Super aegros manus imponent et bene habebunt.  After I did this, they said that they were cured. (Saint Anthony Mary Claret, Founder of the Religious of Mary Immaculate Claretian Missionary Sisters, Autobiography 180.)