Friday, June 26, 2020

Friday of the Twelfth Week in Ordinary Time

(II Kings 25:1-12; Matthew 8:1-4)

We often think of pariah as describing the untouchables of the Indian caste system.  The actual term, however, is dalit.  Some Hindus evidently consider dalits as not having been formed from any of the body parts of their deities.  Dalits include leather workers, street cleaners, landless peasants, and people from a host of other humble professions.  Discrimination against dalits in India has largely disappeared in urban areas.  But it still exists in rural areas where dalits may be prohibited from sitting in eating places and using water sources.

In the gospel Jesus meets a dalit of his time and place.  Lepers were so feared among ancient Jews that they were banished from populated areas. In rural areas lepers had to wear a bell to warn others of their coming.  Yet Jesus shows no fear of the leper whom he encounters descending the mountain of his famous sermon.  Showing what it means to treat others as he would be treated, he touches the untouchable and cures him of leprosy.

We still have dalits in western society.  Twenty years ago people were often afraid to touch AIDS patients.  In some locales today the undocumented may be resented with the animus felt for dalits in rural India.  Alzheimer patients and, often enough, elderly living in nursing homes suffer such neglect that they may feel as if they lacked any relationship to divinity.  Like Jesus we must remember to treat all these groups as we wish to be treated.

Friday, June 30, 2017

Friday of the Twelfth Week in Ordinary Time

(Genesis 17:1-9-10.15-22; Matthew 8:1-4)

Sometimes when I make a donation to charitable organization, I put cash in an envelope and mail it anonymously.  I would like to report that I do this to conform to Jesus’ lesson on almsgiving.  He says in the Sermon on the Mount, “’When you give alms, do not blow a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites^* do in the synagogues and in the streets to win the praise of others.’” But, truth be told, the reason I don’t toot my horn when I donate is that I don’t want to receive a dozen more requests.  Jesus, as we should expect, is much more consistent in doing what he is right.

In today’s gospel, Jesus is approached by a leper for healing immediately after he delivered his famous discourse on the mountain.  He performs the cures and orders the man not to tell anyone about his doing the healing.  Most preachers say that Jesus desires secrecy because he does not want to be confused with a political messiah.  This is probably true, but it is also the case that Jesus is acting in perfect conformity with what he just said on the mount about doing righteous deeds in secret.

We find in Jesus our model for life.  We should always endeavor to do what Jesus did.  This does not mean, of course, that we have to wear sandals and drink wine.  But it does call us to love our neighbor not for any advantage to ourselves but because he or she is a child of God. 

Friday, June 28, 2013

Memorial of Saint, Irenaeus, bishop and martyr

(Genesis 17:1.9-10.15-22; Matthew 8:1-4)

St. Irenaeus of Lyons has been called the greatest biblical theologian in history.  He was, in fact, first a missionary to France.  True to his calling, he worked in the lingua franca which was Celtic and died a martyr’s death.  Regarding his work as a biblical theologian, Irenaeus expounded on the critical biblical insight that God created the world good.  He wrote how human sin distorted that goodness, but now that Jesus has rooted out sin, humans can overcome any of sin’s residual effects.   We might see this lesson in the gospel reading today.

Jesus has just delivered his gospel of grace in the Sermon on the Mount.  As he descends his pulpit, he meets a leper who begs Jesus to clean him.  Leprosy is a disease that symbolizes sinfulness in that it eats away the goodness of the human body.  The same grace proclaimed in the gospel Jesus preached now eradicates the leprosy of sin.

In living the gospel of grace, we too are cleansed of sin – not just on the surface but inside.  When we love God and neighbor from the heart and with good deeds, we shine like the stars with God’s goodness.

Friday, June 25, 2010

Friday of the Twelfth Week in Ordinary Time

(II Kings 25:1-12; Matthew 8:1-4)

We often think of pariah as describing the untouchables of the Indian caste system. The actual term, however, is dalit. Some Hindus evidently consider dalits as not having been formed from any of the body parts of their deities. Dalits include leather workers, street cleaners, landless peasants, and people from a host of other humble professions. Discrimination against dalits in India has largely disappeared in urban areas and in the public sphere. But it still exists in rural areas where dalits may be prohibited from sitting in eating places and using water sources.

In the gospel Jesus meets a dalit of his time and place. Lepers were so feared among ancient Jews that they were banished from populated areas and in rural areas had to wear a bell to warn others of their coming. Yet Jesus shows no fear of the leper who encounters him as he descends the mountain of his famous sermon. Showing what it means to treat others as he would be treated, he touches the untouchable and cures him of leprosy.

We still have dalits in western society. Twenty years ago people were often afraid to touch AIDS patients. In some locales today the undocumented may be resented with the animus felt for dalits in rural India. Alzheimer patients and, often enough, elderly living in nursing homes suffer such neglect that they may feel as if they lacked any relationship to divinity. Like Jesus we must remember to treat all these groups as we wish to be treated.

Homilette for Friday, June 27, 2008

Friday of the Twelfth Week in Ordinary Time

(Matthew 8:1-4)

We often think of pariah as describing the untouchables of the Indian caste system. The actual term, however, is dalit. Dalits are considered as not having been formed from any of the body parts of a Hindu divinity. Dalits include leather workers, street cleaners, landless peasants, and a host of other humble professions. Discrimination against dalits has largely disappeared in urban areas and in the public sphere. It still exists, however, in rural areas of India where Dalits may be blocked from eating places and water sources.

In the gospel Jesus meets a “dalit” of his time and place. Lepers were so feared among ancient Jews that they were banished from populated areas and had to wear a bell to warn others of their presence in rural places. Yet Jesus shows no fear of the leper who encounters him as he descends the mountain after delivering his famous sermon. Showing what it means to treat others as he would be treated, he touches the untouchable and cures him of leprosy.

And the dalits of contemporary times, who are they? Twenty years ago people were often afraid to touch AIDS patients. In some locales today the undocumented may be resented with the animus felt for dalits in rural India. Alzheimer patients and, often enough, elderly living in nursing homes suffer such neglect that they may feel as if they lacked any relationship to divinity. Like Jesus we must remember to treat all these groups as we wish to be treated.