Thursday of the First Week in Ordinary Time
(Hebrews
3:7-14; Mark 1:40-45)
Most have
heard that leprosy in the Bible is not to be equated with modern, disastrous leprosy. In Scripture leprosy is a mild, infectious
skin ailment. Yet lepers in Scripture are
isolated and their officially attested before reintegration. Interestingly, Jesus does not fear
confronting the disease in today’s gospel.
Mark
describes Jesus as fearless as the leper imposes himself on him. The leper comes up to him. Jesus then touches the leper to remedy his
infection. Now Jesus is contaminated while
the leper is cured. Mark does not say
that Jesus has contracted the disease, but he does note that Jesus becomes isolated. News of the cure confines him to “deserted places.” But the people don’t care. More cogent than the need to avoid
contamination is their desire to see this divine messenger.
This past
year has been a long lesson on infectious diseases and how to prevent their
spreading. We know that we should keep apart
from anyone with whom we do not live.
Jesus’ touching the leper should not move us to defy this
convention. But it should inspire us to
go to Jesus with our ailments. Mentally
of physically troubled, we will find in Jesus a resolution to our problem.
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