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“The Leper” by Alexandre Bida, 1850s
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Commentary:
Reading I: 1 Samuel 4:1-11
Commentary on 1 Sm 4:1-11
The chronicle of Samuel continues with the story of the defeat of the Hebrews by the Philistines. The story, in addition to providing a historical reference, also fulfills the first prophecy of Samuel, that God would punish the blasphemy of the sons of Eli (see 1 Samuel 2:12ff and 1 Samuel 3:11-14). Their death in the battle in which the Ark of the Covenant was captured is the underlying lesson of this historical text, and may have been interpreted as the reason for the defeat of the army of Israel. We note the Philistines, when speaking of the arrival of the Ark in the camp of the army of Israel, refer to the arrival of “gods.” This plural address reflects the polytheistic views of the Philistines who assumed Israel also worshiped many gods.
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Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 44:10-11, 14-15, 24-25
R. (27b) Redeem us, Lord, because of your mercy.
Commentary on Ps 44:10-11, 14-15, 24-25
Psalm 44 is a lament. The song calls to the Lord for help, asking God why he has allowed his faithful to be defeated. The singer pleads with God to come to the aid of his people for they are in great need.
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Gospel: Mark 1:40-45
Commentary on Mk 1:40-45
St. Mark’s account of this incident is almost identical to that of St. Luke (see Luke 5:12-16). This healing occurs after the leper demonstrates faith that Jesus can accomplish this feat, even though there are only two times in Old Testament scripture when this was done (Numbers 12:10-15; 2 Kings 5:1-14). In this account of Jesus curing the leper, we see two remarkable details. First, it was Hebrew law that those designated as “unclean” could not approach anyone closer than about ten feet. This leper was clearly much closer. He was close enough to Jesus that he “stretched out his hand, and touched him.” Not just with a word was this leper made clean. The Lord touched him, which by Hebrew law was taboo. In one action the Lord demonstrates his power over the disease and his authority over the law.
Jesus asks the leper not to tell anyone how this was accomplished, but to show the Hebrew priest he was clean and be allowed to rejoin the community. The leper did not do this, so the Lord is mobbed by those seeking God’s favor. Unlike the account in St. Luke, Jesus does not embrace the notoriety but withdraws to deserted places. Nonetheless, people seek him out, "...coming to him from everywhere.”
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Reflection:
Oh, the happy leper touched by Christ. The one completely without sin takes away the sin of one punished and outcast. A person untouchable by ordinary people was made clean. This gesture by Jesus toward the leper sums up the Lord’s mission to us. Though we did not know it we were unclean, like the leper. Our lesions did not show. They were, for the most, part on the inside. We were dying of a disease that had afflicted us since Adam and Eve first allowed sin and death to come into the world. And then God’s Son stretched out his hand and touched us.
If our sins were manifested like the sores of leprosy, the lines to get into the confessional would be endless. A vain people would flock to the one who could heal them on a daily basis. For in the confessional he stretches out his hand and touches us. But it does not work that way. Sin hides in the flesh and is not exposed for all to see.
When Jesus touched the leper and healed him, that happy soul was reconciled to Jesus, to God, and to his community. If our sins were manifested like the sores of leprosy, those who are relatively clean would avoid them, would see them as outcast. And there would be one more motivating factor, beyond simple vanity, to be reconciled with God and allowed to come to his table: so he could stretch out his hand in the Eucharist.
We who seek God know that while our sins do not show, the one who sees in secret knows what we have done. The one who knows each hair on our heads knows our hearts as well. We rejoice in this knowledge because we are aware that like the leper of the Gospel, Jesus, even now, stretches out his hand to us and makes us clean. He invites us to his heavenly banquet foreshadowed on earth in the sacrifice of the Mass.
Pax
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