After Advent Season to prepare for the coming of the incarnated Christ as baby Jesus, we have celebrated the unfolding mystery of the incarnation of Christ throughout Christmas Season, which concluded in celebrating the Baptism of the Lord, which signals the beginning of Jesus’ public ministry. Following the feast Sunday of the Baptism of the Lord, Ordinary Time started to journey with Jesus on his public ministry path. So far, we have reflected how Jesus met and called the first batch of his disciples and how they responded (John 1:35-42; Mark 1:14-20), how Jesus began his ministry with authority and how people reacted to it (Mark 1:21-28). Then, we have reflected how Jesus healed the sick and how people reacted to him (Mark 1:29-39). Now, we reflect one more episode of Jesus’ healing ministry on this Sunday before Ash Wednesday.
This year, year 2021, which is on Cycle B, the
Sunday before Ash Wednesday is the 6th
Sunday in Ordinary Time, and the Gospel Reading (Mark 1:40-45) reflects how
Jesus healed a leper and consequences of Jesus’ healing of the leper.
There have been many diseases. However, leprosy stood
out during the time of the Old Testament. As we can see from the First Reading
(Leviticus 13:1-2, 44-46), leprosy was associated with uncleanliness, thus,
subjecting lepers to isolation (Leviticus 13:4, 21,26, 31, 33, 46) and to the purification
ritual (Leviticus 14:1-20). Because of its visibly observable symptoms on the
skin, such as whitened scales resembling a fungal infestation, it gave an
impression that lepers were unhygienic and “dirty”. However, visible marks of
this disease on the skin were not be able to washed off, and the leprosy goes
under the skin to bring progressively debilitating symptoms by affecting
nerves, muscles, and more, while deforming skins into boil-like growth.
The fact that it was a priest , not a physician, to
declare whether a person with a scab or pustule or blotch is leprously unclean
or not, indicates that leprosy is a physical manifestation of “unclean
spiritual pathology” possibly associated with sin during the time of the Old
Testament. Perhaps, attributing leprosy to sin is rooted in the fact that
Miriam was afflicted with leprosy as a punishment and kept in 7-day isolation for
her sin of rebelling against her brother, Moses, (Numbers 12:10-15).
Whether they actually sinned or not, those who were
declared “unclean” by a priest for their leprous skin symptoms were not only
left in physical isolation but more in humiliation and even as if being
condemned. However, it is important to understand that a priest was also
required by the Law of Moses not only to “diagnose” and declare whether unclean
or clean on a person with leprous skin symptoms but actually to cleanse those
who have been declared unclean (Leviticus 14:1-32). Therefore, lepers were not
necessarily “sentenced” into condemnation but God has commanded a priest to
bring them back through the ritual of cleansing as prescribed in Leviticus 14.
As the old covenant of the Old Testament was being
fulfilled and renewed by Jesus’ public ministry upon John the Baptist’s
preparatory ministry of repentance, cleansing, and conversion (Mark 1:14-15) , lepers
were no longer necessarily required to go through the cleansing ritual by a
priest as prescribed in Leviticus 14. It is because Jesus is the great high
priest of compassion (Hebrews 4:14-16) of eternity (Hebrew 5:6; 7:14-17; Psalm
110:4). The Gospel Reading (Mark 1:40-45) gives a snap shot of how this eternal
great high priest acts with his compassion on a leper’s request.
As Jesus successfully conducted exorcism on the spot
to the demon-possessed man while teaching in the synagogue (Mark 1:23-28),
healed Simon’s mother-in-law and more (Mark 1:29-34), the reputation of Jesus
as a great healer had already widely spread throughout Galilee (Mark 1:28, 33,37)
by the time when a leper came to Jesus, begging him to be cleaned (Mark 1:40).
This leper was not made clean by a Temple priest of the old covenant. But,
hearing the reputation of Jesus, he hoped to be made clean by this healer
authority.
Jesus did not tell the leper, “Sorry, you need to
have an appoint so that I could prepare two live, clean birds, some cedar wood,
scarlet yarn, and hyssop, as required by the Law (Leviticus 14:4) to offer
cleansing you desire. So, come back later”, as a priest of the old covenant might
have told. Jesus rather immediately
responded to the leper’s request to be made clean out of his compassion (σπλάγχνα/ splagchnon)(Mark
1:41).
Driven by σπλάγχνα/ splagchnon
(deep visceral compassion), Jesus has extended (ἐκτείνας / ekteinas
) his hand (χεῖρα/cheira) and touched
(ἥψατο/ hepsato)
and said “Θέλω /Thelo; καθαρίσθητι
/katharistheti”(I am willing to do
it; be made clean/cleansed) (Mark 1:41). This verse is pivotal as it tells
who Jesus really is as the great eternal high priest of compassion.
As a result of Jesus’ willing act of σπλάγχνα/ splagchnon
(deep visceral compassion ), the leper
was made clean instantly (Mark 1:42). And,
it is because of Jesus’ ἀγάπη/agape ,
on which the Father’s חֶסֶד/chesed
(faithful steadfast love beyond love) and רַחֲמִים/rachamim
(motherly compassion), as He is אֵל מָלֵא
רַחֲמִים /El Malei Rachamim (God full of mercy).
What a mighty hand of healing that Jesus has! How
deeply moving his compassion is! And he is our great eternal compassionate high
priest!
Upon completely healing the leper on the spot
immediately, Jesus warned him not to tell anyone about it but only to show
himself his priest so that he can be declared clean (Mark 1:44) so that it
would make as if his priest had cleansed him based on Leviticus 14:2–32.
Why did Jesus say such a warning to him?
To answer, we need to understand what Jesus was
thinking in Mark 1:37-38, when his disciples were telling him that everyone in
the town was looking for him but he said to leave the town and go around other
towns to continue on with his public ministry.
Jesus told his disciples not to stay in a town where
his popularity grew and go to places where he was not known yet. Why?
It is because Jesus was not performing healing and
teaching with authority to magnet public attention for himself but solely for
the sake of the one who sent him, namely the Father. Jesus represents אֵל מָלֵא רַחֲמִים /El Malei Rachamim (God
full of mercy), and he himself is God incarnate (John 1:1, 14). To bring and make God’s mercy readily
available to the afflicted, including those who have been declared “unclean”,
the Father has sent His only begotten Son, by incarnating him to dwell among us
(John 1:14). That is why Jesus said, “For
this purpose have I come” (Mark 1:38) in regard to his willingness to
continue on with his teaching and healing with authority. However, rapid growth
of his reputation made it difficult for Jesus to continue on with his mission –
his public ministry as in the Father’s will. To minimize this problem, Jesus
had to warn the man not to tell anyone about what he did to the man.
So, did this man honored Jesus’ request to keep the
matter secret?
No. He spread the matter. As a result, it became
difficult for Jesus to continue with his public ministry. So, he had to retreat
himself to rather a deserted place (Mark 1:45).
Had Jesus been a man with self-glorification desire, like some popularity-hungry
preachers and healers, he would remain where he had become popular and enjoyed
the shower of praises to him. But, it was not the case with Jesus. So, he had
to leave such a place.
During this prolonging covid-19 pandemic, we have
been with heightened awareness of hygiene to prevent the spread of the infection.
Now frequent hand-washing and wiping with disinfectant have become rather a
routine daily ritual. Doing this ritual sure offers a psychological effect of “cleanliness”,
making us “safer” against the infection. But, what about the cleanliness that
matters most, without underestimating the seriousness of the pandemic?
Washing hands and wiping with disinfectant daily
ritual is certainly important. But, in regard to the importance of our inner
cleanliness, the purity of our hearts and souls, such routines as hand washing
and wiping are more like washing off external uncleanliness juxtaposed to the
ritual cleansing of the lepers (Leviticus 14). Given the real pathophysiology
of leprosy, the cleansing methods in Leviticus 14 cannot really heal or cure
the disease. Responsible bacteria (Mycobacterium
leprae ) go deeper under the skin to further affect the muscle tissues and
nerves and more with progressively debilitating effects. Thus, the disease
cannot be “washed off”. But, its
unhygienic visible symptoms on the skin were immediately cleansed and leprosy
was completely healed no matter how deep under the skin it had afflicted by the
deeper compassion of Jesus through his mighty healing hand.
Now, Lent is around the corner, as Ash Wednesday is
this Wednesday, with today’s readings, let us further reflect on our needs for
deeper cleansing of “psychospiritual leprosy” which plagues bot our hearts and
soul progressively, if untreated. Though its symptom may not be recognized
visibly by others, its pathology can manifest in our verbal and nonverbal
behaviors and in our relationship with God, as well as, in our interpersonal
relationships. If you feel being away from God and/or away from people
regardless of the pandemic-related social distancing, you may be infected with “psychospiritual
leprosy” or similar psychospiritual illnesses. And the only effective way to be
cleansed and healed from this problem is Jesus the incarnated Christ, our great
compassionate eternal high priest. And he is the great physician who comes to
heal those who have been afflicted with sins (Mark 2:17). And, he reminds us that
a root of all of our psychospiritual pathologies can be found in our inner-self
(Mark 7:20-23). And this is where we need his nighty healing hand with deeper
compassion. So, Lent is a good time to let our great eternal high priest and
physician, Jesus the incarnated Christ, touch and cleanse our innermost part so
that we can crucify our sinful selves with him and rise with him within us (Galatians
2:20) during the paschal triduum.
As we begin the 40-day long Lenten journey of
penance and cleansing, we are reminded of our “psychospiritual leprosy” and/or
similar psychological and spiritual afflictions to be cleansed by the mighty
hand of Jesus, our great eternal high priest and physician with deeper
compassion. So, let us turn ourselves to him, as reflected in this refrain of
the Responsorial Psalm (32:1-2, 5, 11 ),” I
turn to you, Lord, in time of trouble, and you fill me with the joy of
salvation”.
Paul had crucified his sinful self with Jesus and has
had the risen Christ in him (Galatians 2:20). With cleansed heart and soul, he
has been calling us to follow his experience, as he had followed Christ to his
Cross. Therefore, he is calling us to be imitators of Christ as he has been (1
Corinthians 11:1), so that we can become selfless and act for others (1
Corinthians 10:33), in the spirit of these words of Fr. Pedro Arrupe SJ, “Hombres para los demas”(Men (and women)
for others). And with this cleansed state of our hearts and souls, everything
we do is for the glory of God (1 Corinthians 10:30) and as St. Ignatius of
Loyola has said, “Ad majorem Dei gloriam”(for
the greater glory of God).
As we are truly cleansed deeply by the mighty
healing hand of Jesus, who is our great eternal high priest and physician with
deeper compassion, our “psychospiritual leprosy” is cleansed and live anew as
selfless persons for the greater glory of God, as Jesus himself lived in such a way and as Paul
followed his this way of selfless ministry for us.
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