Shout Alleluia! We are healed!

On this final Sunday of Ordinary Time before we enter our Lenten Journey of 40 days of fasting, prayer and almsgiving, let’s shout Alleluia one more time. After this Sunday we will not shout it again until we celebrate the Resurrection of our Lord at Easter.

We have much to shout Alleluia about. After all, we are being sustained by the Lord through these difficult times of the pandemic. We have vaccines that are being administered to people throughout the world and, hopefully by the end of this year, everyone will be vaccinated. We have seen the generosity and kindness of countless people who have helped those who have lost jobs and who are suffering financially. We have seen large food drives to help put food on people’s tables and we have seen an outpouring of prayers and support for those who have been afflicted by the virus and comfort given to the families who have lost loved ones due to the virus. For this we shout Alleluia!

There are some who may ask, but why hasn’t the Lord healed us from the virus? Others may ask why we have not been healed from fear, hatred, prejudice, racism, war, greed and so much more. Think what the Scriptures are saying to us on this Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time. The first reading from the Book of Leviticus 13:1-2, 44-46 gives us an account of Moses teaching how those who are unclean should be treated. Those who had any type of physical condition of the skin were thought to have leprosy, a disease people in the ancient world had a deep fear and suspicion of catching themselves much like our fear of the coronavirus. The Book of Leviticus says they should be removed from the community and live apart so as not to contaminate others. Again, we are familiar with this approach with quarantining, stay-at-home orders and wearing of masks. We can understand more profoundly today than we could a year ago why people in the ancient world treated lepers the way they did. They were motivated by fear.

We, however, also treat others as if they are lepers as well. Think of all the different reasons why we might separate others from ourselves. Racism and prejudice cause us to treat people differently or even avoid them all together. Even different religious beliefs cause us to behave with suspicion. How about if someone has a different lifestyle than ours or different political beliefs? If we reflect on our behaviors and attitudes, we may find ourselves having to admit that we do treat others differently. It seems that today we are less tolerant of others who may be different than us. We only want to be with people who are like us because we are under the misconception we will be made unclean. The even greater misconception is that we have the right to judge others. Who is more unclean? The person being judged or the person judging?

Jesus answers that question in the Gospel of Mark 1:40-45. This passage of Jesus’ healing authority is a continuation from the previous two weeks of the messianic secret that Jesus is the Son of God; for only God can heal and make new again that which is unclean. “A leper came to Jesus and kneeling down begged him and said, ‘If you wish, you can make me clean.’ ” Jesus was moved with pity because he knew what it meant when the community declared someone unclean. It meant pain and suffering and ultimately death. Jesus would himself one day be declared unclean and sent to his death. His death though would lead to us all being made clean through the blood of the cross.

St. Paul tells us in the second reading from First Corinthians 10:31-11:1, “Whatever you do, do everything for the glory of God. Avoid giving offense, whether to the Jews or Greeks or the church of God.” We have nothing to shout Alleluia about if we give offense to a Muslim, Jew, or fellow Christian, or to someone who is gay or straight, or to a Democrat or Republican. In all we do we are to be imitators of Christ. After all, we are all the leper whom Jesus took pity upon. So, let us one last time before Lent, shout Alleluia! For we have been healed.