Every Sunday, Bishop Edward Malesic writes a Scripture reflection for the faithful. Follow the bishop on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
Click HERE for the readings.
Jesus took a great risk when he reached out and touched the leper in today’s Gospel. He risked contracting leprosy himself, which was quite contagious. He also risked becoming an outcast: touching a leper made a person ritually unclean for worship.
Jesus overlooked the risks to his health and reputation, had compassion, reached out and touched the leper. He healed the incurable disease of an unclean man who was unwanted by the community.
Jesus also takes the risk to touch us. What is the risk? As with any proposal of love, the risk is rejection. Out of love for us Jesus has forgiven our sins and restored God’s life within us. His love was poured into us when we were baptized, it continues to be poured into us every day. The question is: do we receive God’s love with a grateful heart, or do we reject it?
When the man was healed, despite being told not to, he could not help but talk about the way Jesus healed him. He was a changed man, not just on the outside but also on the inside.
If we have accepted the love that God has for us — the love that Jesus showed us from the cross — we must also be healed, not just on the outside (although our faces should show our happiness at salvation), but also on the inside. Our hearts must be renewed and changed. Our hearts must have the compassion of Jesus himself. We must act differently because Jesus has saved us.
And with hearts renewed by Jesus, we will be asked to take the same risks that Jesus did. We will be asked to risk loving without counting the cost — sometimes with risks to our health (a firefighter enters a burning house) and sometimes with risks to our comfort (answering the phone in the middle of the night to help a friend).
But the Lord takes us deeper. He wants us to risk loving those the world considers unlovable and undesirable. Those who have been rejected by others must be welcomed by us. This is the way of Jesus in today’s Gospel, and it is he lesson of sacrificial love that he wants us to learn.
Have a blessed week everyone as we begin the holy season of Lent on Wednesday.