Make me clean

GOSPEL

(Jesus stretches out his hand, touches and heals a leper, and thereby, restores him to physical, social and spiritual wellbeing.)

A reading from the Holy Gospel according to St Mark (1:40-45)

A leper came to Jesus beseeching him, and kneeling said to him, “If you will, you can make me clean.” Moved with pity, he stretched out his hand and touched him, and said to him, “I will; be clean.” And immediately the leprosy left him, and he was made clean. And he sternly charged him, and sent him away at once, and said to him, “See that you say nothing to any one; but go, show yourself to the priest, and offer for your cleansing what Moses commanded, for a proof to the people.”  But he went out and began to talk freely about it, and to spread the news, so that Jesus could no longer openly enter a town, but was out  in the country; and people came to him from every quarter. 
This is the Gospel of the Lord

Homily

Unclean, Unclean: Lepers were among the most piteous people in ancient Israel. Leprosy was a sickness known to be contagious and incurable and therefore greatly feared. The only solution was to isolate the victims. It was a case of being safe rather than be sorry. Lepers, thus, suffered from physical disintegration of body and limbs as well as social ostracism, contempt and fear. They had to keep away from human contact. They had to brand themselves as ‘unclean’ in order to protect others from coming near them. To our ears today, it is nothing less than crude and inhuman. At the time of Jesus there were many lepers in Israel. They neither hoped to be cured nor restored to the status of a human being in society.

If you will, you can make me clean: There was however this leper who suddenly found a ray of hope! He knew medical science had no remedy for his sufferings. However, in Jesus he found a supernatural remedy. In his desperation, and as a last resort, he falls on his knees before Jesus. He breaks the law of segregation. He wanted a cure and restore his lost status as a human being. He was prepared to pay the price for approaching Jesus the divine healer. There is marvellous faith in his heart-rending appeal: “If you will, you can make me clean.” The man had seen Jesus’ power at work in other people’s lives. And he firmly believed it could work in his life too.

I will; be clean: Jesus was moved with pity and immediately stretched out his hand, touched him and healed him, saying, “I will; be clean”. And thus a revolution took place there, fulfilling his own pronounced programme of action at the beginning of his ministry: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring glad tidings to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, and to proclaim a year acceptable to the Lord” (Lk 4:18-19). In this victim of leprosy, Jesus saw a captive. He knew that nothing was more precious and valuable than the freedom that this child of God longs and craves for. By extending his hand and touching and healing the victim, Jesus restored his bodily health as well as the status of a free human being. He, thus broke the barrier of segregation and upheld the idea that all human beings, no matter how high or low he was in human eyes, equal and precious in the eyes of God.

He went out and began to talk freely about it, and to spread the news: Although warned by Jesus not to make a publicity of the cure, the man could not contain the new-found joy and freedom. He went around speaking about the supernatural experience. Indeed, how could the man refrain from telling everybody about it? He thus became an ardent evangelizer. People came to Jesus because the man was spreading the news about him and his powers. Today Jesus continues his healing ministry especially through the sacraments. Having experienced the power of Jesus in baptism, confirmation, Eucharist and reconciliation, how can we remain silent? Each of the sacraments is an experience of healing, restoration and freedom. Living and witnessing to this experience is evangelization.

Whatever you do, do all to the glory of God: St Paul has this final message for us today. Our every word, action, behaviour, decision and attitude should be aimed at giving glory to God. Having experienced God’s love and power in our lives, we live as God’s children and thus give him glory. It is in our wholeness and freedom that God is glorified most. Is there anything that prevents me from experiencing wholeness and freedom? Do I speak about the power, love and goodness of God to others?
                                                                     Fr Joe Eruppakkatt