Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time, cycle B

MARK 1:40-45
IN THE GOSPEL OF MARK, JESUS OFTEN TELLS PEOPLE TO KEEP QUIET ABOUT WHAT HE HAS DONE.  THIS IS CALLED “THE MESSIANIC SECRET” AND SCHOLARS HAVE GIVEN DIFFERENT REASONS FOR ITS PURPOSE.  IT'S INTERESTING THAT THIS DOESN'T COME UP IN THE OTHER GOSPELS, INCLUDING THE GOSPEL OF MATTHEW,  IN WHICH 90% OF MARK IS CONTAINED.  IT DIDN'T SERVE MATTHEW'S PURPOSE TO KEEP THIS STRANGE COMMAND OF JESUS – MATTHEW HAD A DIFFERENT SET OF REASONS FOR WRITING HIS GOSPEL.
IF WE LOOK AT THE TIMES JESUS TELLS THOSE HE CURES NOT TO TELL ANYONE ABOUT WHAT JUST HAPPENED, THOUGH, WE MIGHT BE ABLE TO COME UP WITH OUR OWN EXPLANATION FOR THE MESSIANIC SECRET, AND MAYBE THERE IS EVEN SOMETHING THAT WE CAN APPLY TO OUR OWN LIVES.
THIS GOSPEL IS AN EXAMPLE OF THIS.  JESUS ENCOUNTERS A LEPER – AND YOU'VE HEARD WHAT MOSES SAID TO DO WITH LEPERS.  IN JESUS' TIME ANYONE WITH A PERSISTENT SKIN PROBLEM WAS A LEPER UNTIL PROVEN OTHERWISE, AND THAT MEANT THAT YOU STAYED AWAY FROM TOWNS AND OTHER PEOPLE; YOU HAD TO DRESS IN A CERTAIN WAY SO THAT  PEOPLE COULD AVOID YOU; AND YOU COULDN'T GET A  JOB.  WHENEVER SOMEONE LOOKED AS THOUGH THEY WERE GOING TO CROSS YOUR PATH, YOU WERE TO SHOUT “UNCLEAN, UNCLEAN”.  SOMEONE WHO EVEN TOUCHED A LEPER WAS CONSIDERED UNCLEAN FOR SEVEN DAYS.  LEPERS SURVIVED THROUGH THE KINDNESS OF THEIR RELATIVES, OR SOMETIMES STRANGERS.  IF YOU WERE UNCLEAN, YOU COULDN'T TAKE PART IN WORSHIP – OBVIOUSLY GOD MUST BE PUNISHING YOU FOR SOMETHING.  NATURALLY, SOME LEPERS, BEING DESPERATE, WOULD COMMIT DESPERATE ACTS LIKE ROBBERY.  IT WAS A TOUGH LIFE.
THE LEPER, DEFYING CONVENTION, CALLS OUT TO JESUS AND BEGS HIM:  “IF YOU WANT TO YOU CAN MAKE ME CLEAN!”  AND JESUS REACHES OUT AND TOUCHES HIM, DEFYING CONVENTION HIMSELF, AND SAYS, “I DO WANT TO, SO BE CLEAN!”  THE LEPER IS MADE CLEAN, AND JESUS TAKES ON THE STATUS OF “UNCLEAN”.  JESUS GIVES HIM TWO COMMANDS – ONE IS TO GO SHOW HIMSELF TO THE PRIEST, BECAUSE THE PRIEST COULD THEN DECLARE HIM CLEAN AND HE COULD COME BACK INTO SOCIETY.  WE DON'T KNOW IF THE LEPER ACTUALLY DID THAT.  THE OTHER IS “TELL NO ONE”.  AND OF COURSE, OUR LEPER DOESN'T DO THIS – IN FACT, HE DOES JUST THE OPPOSITE.  AND WE SEE THE CONSEQUENCES; JESUS CAN'T GO ANYWHERE WITHOUT ATTRACTING A NEEDY, DEMANDING CROWD.
THINKING IN HUMAN TERMS, IT MUST HAVE REALLY BEEN HARD ON JESUS, WHO SAW HIS MISSION AS ONE OF PREACHING THE KINGDOM OF GOD TO EVERYONE WHO WOULD LISTEN.  AND NOW IRONICALLY, HE HAS TO AVOID PLACES WHERE THERE ARE LOTS OF PEOPLE.
HOW DOES THIS APPLY TO US?  I THINK A LOT OF US BELIEVE IN THE POWER OF PRAYER.  WE PRAY FOR SOMETHING TO HAPPEN, OR SOMETHING NOT TO HAPPEN; WE PRAY FOR SICK FRIENDS AND DEAD RELATIVES; WE PRAY KNOWING THAT NOT EVERY PRAYER IS ANSWERED THE WAY WE WANT IT TO BE, BUT NEVERTHELESS, HOPING THAT MAYBE THIS TIME OUR PRAYER WILL BE  ANSWERED IN THE WAY WE WANT IT TO BE.  AND OBVIOUSLY SOMETIMES THEY ARE.
BUT ALTHOUGH JESUS HEALS THE LEPER, WHAT DOES HE REALLY WANT?  IF WE GO BY OTHER MOMENTS IN HIS LIFE, HE WANTS CONVERSION, HE WANTS THIS LEPER TO GIVE HIMSELF TO GOD, TO REPENT HIS SINS AND SEEK GOD'S MERCY; AFTER HEALING HIS BODY HE WANTS TO HEAL HIS SOUL, BUT THAT REQUIRES THAT THE FORMER LEPER SPEND SOME TIME LEARNING FROM JESUS.
BUT THE LEPER MISSES ALL OF THIS AND GOES OUT TELLING EVERYONE WHAT HAPPENED AND WHO DID IT.  AND IN SO DOING HE LOSES THE OPPORTUNITY FOR COMPLETE HEALING, AND MAKES IT DIFFICULT FOR JESUS TO REACH OTHERS WITH HIS MESSAGE.  THE LEPER FAILS TO OBEY THE PLAIN COMMAND OF JESUS.
HERE WE ARE IN CHURCH; WE ARE HERE BECAUSE WE KNOW SOMETHING SPECIAL TAKES PLACE; WE KNOW THAT JESUS BECOMES PRESENT IN BREAD AND WINE, IN THE WORD AND IN EACH OTHER.  WE KNOW HEALING GRACES ARE AVAILABLE, BOTH FOR BODY AND SOUL.  WE HAVE A LIST OF THINGS WE WANT TO BRING TO JESUS' ATTENTION – SOME OF THEM AS A PEOPLE WHEN WE PRAY THE INTERCESSIONS AFTER THE CREED AND WHEN WE PRAY THE EUCHARISTIC PRAYER; AND SOME WHICH WE BRING TO THE MASS IN OUR HEARTS TO  SPEAK THEM PRIVATELY.  AND AFTER OUR ENCOUNTER WITH CHRIST, WE ARE GIVEN A COMMAND – IT MAY BE, “GO, LIVE THE GOSPEL” OR “THE MASS IS ENDED, GO IN PEACE” OR VARIOUS OTHER FORMULATIONS.  THEY ALL BOIL DOWN TO THE SAME THING, THOUGH.  WE ARE SUPPOSED TO LEAVE MASS AND IN OUR CASE, BRING WHAT WE'VE RECEIVED INTO THE WORLD WHICH SO DESPERATELY NEEDS WHAT WE HAVE BEEN GIVEN.
THE LEPER WASN'T READY TO BE SENT FORTH; HE NEEDED TO LEARN FROM JESUS AND BE FORMED BY HIM.  YOU AND I HAVE BEEN EQUIPPED TO GO FORTH; WE HAVE EATEN AND DRUNK JESUS CHRIST; WE'VE RENEWED OUR BAPTISM, WE'VE STIRRED UP THE HOLY SPIRIT IN US; WE'VE BEEN INSTRUCTED  THROUGH THE WORD AND SOMETIMES THE SERMON IF THE HOLY SPIRIT MAKES UP FOR THE DEFICIENCIES OF THE PREACHER.  WHAT MORE DO WE NEED TO GO FORTH AND BRING CHRIST'S MESSAGE TO  THE WORLD?  AND YET, PROBABLY MUCH OF THE TIME WE AREN'T EVEN THINKING ABOUT THIS ONCE WE HIT THE PARKING LOT.
TODAY BEFORE WE LEAVE THIS MASS LET US THINK OF ONE PERSON WITH WHOM WE WILL SHARE THE GOSPEL THIS WEEK.  WE DON'T HAVE TO WHIP OPEN A BIBLE OR OFFER TO PRAY WITH SOMEONE.  THE GOSPEL IS THE GOOD NEWS THAT JESUS BROUGHT TO OUR WORLD, THE NEWS THAT WE HAVE IT IN OUR POWER TO TOUCH EACH OTHER'S LIVES.  AND WHEN WE TOUCH EACH OTHER, THE RESULT CAN BE GOOD OR IT CAN BE BAD.  A COMPLEMENT INSTEAD OF A CRITICISM.  WELCOMING INSTEAD OF IGNORING.  GIVING THE BENEFIT OF THE DOUBT RATHER THAN BLAMING.  OUR BAPTISMAL GRACES ARE ALWAYS THERE TO TELL US WHAT WE SHOULD DO; ALL WE NEED TO DO IS LISTEN.