SIXTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME
FEBRUARY 15, 2015
The
laws in the Book of Leviticus seem very harsh to our 21st century
ears. When anyone had any kind of skin
disease that “appears to be the sore of leprosy,” that person was banned from
the community. Not only did the person
suffer terrible physical pain, but also banishment from family, friends, and
any kind of a supportive community. As
tough as it was for the individual, the real concern was for the common good,
the health of the community. In a pre
scientific age that had no cures for skin diseases, excluding the contagious
people was the only way to prevent the destruction of the fabric of a closely
knit society.
In our
culture, the opposite dynamic is true.
We so value the rights and freedom of the individual that we sometimes
do not consider how our behaviors affect the common good. In our families, having it my own way can
have negative effects on the rest of the family. We can become seduced by the message of
consumerism so much that we do not see how our greed for things we do not need
affect the poor. We can be tempted to
become consumers of the good things of our parish and give no thought to those
stewards who can burn themselves out by doing all the heavy lifting. We engage in gossip and slander without
giving a thought to the damage done to the reputations of those around us. There are many examples of making decisions
without giving any thought to their impact on the common good.
That is why
we need the Season of Lent. Lent invites
us to take a good look at our lives and examine how our choices have harmed the
common good, whether in our families, in our local society, or in our
parish. Lent invites us to take an
honest look at the ways in which we have become lepers and separated ourselves
from or damaged the communities in which we live.
All of us
are sinners. All of us have known the
shame which comes from making bad choices.
Like the leper in today's Gospel, we have learned that we can bring our
blemishes to the Lord without being condemned.
He reaches out, touches us, and reconciles us to the community damaged
by our sinful choices. He can also heal
those smaller, sometimes habitual actions which tear apart at the fabric of the
societies in which we live.
Once we
acknowledge how we have made ourselves lepers, the disciplines of Lent have the
power to bring us closer to the Lord, whose sacrifice reconciles us to the
Father and to each other. Please take
home your packet and resolve to enter into some meaningful form of prayer,
fasting, and almsgiving. In particular,
pay attention to the suggestions for renewing our stewardship of prayer. It is that aspect of stewardship that is most
critical, because prayer not only reveals the ways in which we have made
ourselves lepers, but it also reminds us that everything is a gift from God who
reconciles us.
You would
expect me to talk about the importance of prayer. That's my job. Please direct your attention to Mary Colbert,
who will speak about the place of prayer in her life.
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