The 6 th Sunday of Ordinary Time Year B Readings, Lectionary #77 Begin in prayer Spend a few moments in prayer before reading the Scripture. Ask the Lord to let his Word speak to your heart. Merciful Father, purify my heart and my lips as well, that I may speak a word of welcome to those you have placed in my care, for they are sisters and brothers. Be with me now, Holy Spirit, as I prepare my homily for next weekend. Guide my words and my life to reflect the joy you bring. Amen. Liturgical Context Jesus heals a leper in today s Gospel. Mark continues to illustrate Jesus divine power in the early days of his ministry. Approach the Text Read the Scripture for this Sunday several times. Let its words and phrases truly affect you. Use the Lectio Divina method (available from PastoralPlanning.com as part of this homily kit) to allow the Word to fill your heart and excite you about the homily you are preparing. Begin by reading through all the readings for this weekend. FIRST READING: Leviticus 13:1-2, 44-46 The unclean one shall dwell apart, making an abode outside the camp. The reading from Leviticus sets forth Such people were considered the law concerning lepers. They were spiritually and physically unclean and by law excluded from the community thus must be excluded from the until pronounced clean. community. Today we see the origin of the Only the priest could declare them mandates set forth in the law clean again and pronounce them free regarding people with skin disorders. to return to the community.
For your reflection: Imagine that even simple acne was considered a skin disease thus imagine all the poor teenagers so afflicted. It was a cruel law. How would it feel to be that excluded from friends and loved ones? What does that tell us about some of the laws of the Old Testament and why Jesus came to break down rigid barriers? SECOND READING: 1 Corinthians 10:31--11:1 Whatever you do, do everything for the glory of God. Enlightened, converted Christians avoid scandal or offending those were well aware that idols did not who might find it offensive to eat the exist so the issue was really a moot meat. point. There should have been no He reminded them that their primary problem eating the meat. task was to give God due honor and However, Paul was concerned with praise. not causing scandal to other more Paul invited the Corinthians to follow scrupulous Christians. his example who in turn followed the He also wanted to avoid example of Christ. embarrassment should the pagans Paul reminded them to keep their goad and chastise them for eating the focus on Jesus Christ crucified at all meat. times. Paul therefore set forth guiding Jesus sacrificed himself for others; so principles to address the issue. too were the Corinthians to sacrifice Food in and of itself does not dictate themselves for others and cause no a person s holiness. undue conflict as a result of their However even perceived behavior decision to eat such meat. has implications in the wider Paul shows his community the way of community. the cross and invites them to imitate He thus cautioned his community to him. For your reflection: What does it mean in this reading to follow the way of the cross? What self-sacrificing, cross embracing action was the community cautioned to take in this case? Paul illustrates freedom from rigid interpretation of the Law; he freed them not from the law but FOR the Law. In other words they were not bound by the law regarding eating the meat sacrificed to idols, but out of love for Christ and his people, they were cautioned to follow it. What does that teach us about the law today and our responsibility toward the law? GOSPEL: Mark 1:40-45 "If you wish, you can make me clean." Jesus heals the leper and sends him back to the priest to be pronounced clean. Leprosy was an inclusive term that included many forms of skin conditions. In some cases the
condition was highly contagious. The Torah insisted that those afflicted with leprosy were to publically make themselves known. Leviticus insisted that the leper was to wear torn clothing, hair was to be worn loosely, the upper lip was to be covered, and the lepers were to announce their presence by shouting, unclean, unclean! They were also instructed to live alone, outside of the community. Leprosy was understood as punishment for sin. The leper in today s Gospel obviously crosses the requisite boundary of not coming within fifty feet of an uninfected person. He crosses that boundary because Jesus crossed it with him. Jesus reached out to the leper and became unclean himself in the process. The leper falls to his knees and begs Jesus to help him. He tells Jesus that he has the power to heal him if he would. So strong is the word used for you have the power (dunasai) that our word dynamite originates from that word. Last week we reflected on the difference between what it means to be healed and what it means to be cured. Healing was a spiritual and social reality. Curing was physical and medical reality. To be made clean was akin to being restored to the life of the community. Any person deemed unclean was set apart, excluded, from life in the community; they were cut off from life itself. Unfortunately when it came to leprosy one could not be made clean without being cured. Some manuscripts tell us that Jesus was moved with deep compassion. Other translations tell us he was angry. Which was it? Compassion or anger? Some scholars believe that anger is the proper context not anger at the leper, but anger at the way in which this poor man had fallen prey to the forces of evil. Jesus gesture of touching the leper was shocking in and of itself. Jesus risked contaminating himself both spiritually and medically. The leper did not contaminate Jesus by his touch, however. Jesus touch on the other hand decontaminated the leper; it made him clean, whole, holy and restored. Jesus pronounced, Be made clean. It was an indirect way (a Jewish literary technique called the divine passive ) of calling on God to effect the healing and cleansing of the leper. God becomes the Divine Healer, the active agent in the encounter. We must assume that Jesus not only healed the man but also cleansed him of the disfigurement associated with the disease. If not, the healing would not have been complete. For your reflection: Have you ever experienced the unconditional love and healing of Jesus that this leper obviously experienced, a healing in which you were awed by God s magnanimous action in your life? Can you share this with your people in the Preparing the Homily Mary Birmingham PastoralPlanning.com Page 3
homily this week? It may provide that all-important first step to others to trust in God s healing love. Imagine that you are the leper in the story and Jesus told you not to tell anyone. Consider the absurdity. Everyone that you came into contact with would automatically know you are healed because they could see it and yet Jesus told you not to tell anyone. In spite of the messianic secret and the reasons for it Jesus knew his mission could not be contained. How difficult would it be to keep quiet? How would you respond if asked? Are you inclined to tell others today about God s marvelous action in your life or are you more inclined to keep it to yourself? Do you think Jesus really wants you not to tell anyone about the marvels of God in your life? If not when was the last time you did? Who are the lepers in our world? If Jesus were to walk in our communities today as he walked in the communities of first century Palestine, where would he go that would cause as much controversy today as it caused then? What are the implications for us? Imagine the lepers of our day. They are rejected by society and have been cut off. Good people will have nothing to do with them because they are considered sinners and unclean. Imagine further that this leper is broken to the core of his or her being. He or she may have lost all hope in God s love. In light of this Gospel, what would Jesus response to them be? What should be your/our response? Now consider that you are among the good people who had rejected those poor unclean people. What does that say about you? What might God be asking of you? What is God s call and challenge and what is your decision? What can you concretely do to rectify your attitude and perhaps your behavior? What does it cost people today who reach out to outcasts? Take an inward glance Think about how the call to holiness is embedded in this week s liturgy: * [Leviticus] "The priest shall declare him unclean." How do you feel when you have to offer negative criticism to a coworker, or to a parishioner? What would those who work side-by-side with you say are your good qualities? When have you felt "unclean"? * [Psalm] "You took away the guilt of my sin." When you have received absolution for your sins, have you allowed the Lord to absolve you from your guilt, too? If you have ever continued to feel guilty, even after confession, what kinds of sins cause such guilt? * [1 Corinthians] "Avoid giving offense." In what kind of situations are you most likely to give offense? How open a person are you, especially to persons who are not of your race, your ethnicity, your faith? What can you do to become a more welcoming person? Preparing the Homily Mary Birmingham PastoralPlanning.com Page 4
* "He... touched him." How circumspect are you when it comes to those whom you do, and do not, touch? In which situations do you need to be careful about touching others? When you reach out your hand, is it always for healing? Who are the outcasts whom you are reluctant to touch? * "I do will it. Be made clean." How often have you asked the Lord to make you clean? How sincere are your efforts to put both body and soul into the Lord's healing hands? * "He spread the report abroad." Can it be said of you that you preach, by word and action, wherever you are? When you are on vacation, how edifying would your behavior be? What kind of evangelist are you? Take an outward glance Think about how the call to holiness is embedded in the daily experiences of the people to whom you will be speaking: * [Leviticus] "He shall dwell apart...." What kinds of people are made to feel like second-class citizens in your parish? What makes some of your parishioners feel that they are "unclean"? What opportunities for experiencing grace are afforded in your parish community? * [1 Corinthians] "Be imitators of me." Paul states that he was open to all: who, among your brothers and sisters, are imitators of the Apostle? Can your parishioners easily imitate their parish ministers in this regard? * "Show yourself to the priest." Is there diffidence among your parishioners about going to confession? What kinds of opportunities for reconciliation are offered in your parish? Are some confessors more popular than others? Why? * "He remained outside." Some of your sisters and brothers are timid about taking a more active role in the parish; how can they be assisted to come "inside"? What kinds of situations do some of your parishioners face at home that make them feel that they would rather remain "outside"? Speaking of Scripture Preparing the 8-minute homily This week's preparation has directed you to consider the "cleanliness" of your own soul and body and to imagine, as well, how some of your brothers and sisters may feel apart from the community. Try to prepare a homily that will assist the entire assembly to re-commit themselves to imitate Paul and, thus, to be hospitable to those who feel like outsiders. This about who might feel most leprous in your community. Try to reach out to them in your homily, to help them believe that Christ loves us in the midst of our sinfulness, pain, and illness. Christ loves us no matter what. Timing Homily notes Memo 30 seconds Greet everyone and say one thing to Keep this very short. It takes Preparing the Homily Mary Birmingham PastoralPlanning.com Page 5
connect with what is on the mind of the community news, weather, sports, parish events, visitors, a special group which is present, or other. Humor is good here. God is sending his love through you to your listeners. 1-2 minutes Tell a story or provide an image that will fire the imagination of your listeners. Do not launch into a treatment of the readings. This image or story must be one that is easy to understand by everyone, young and old. Avoid using standard jokes here. Instead, as you prepare the homily, what comes to mind as illustrative of the message in the readings? 3-4 minutes Connect that image now to the message in today s readings. Again, avoid providing commentary on the readings or exegesis which is disconnected from your image. You want people to remember what you say and take it home. What hope does the message today offer to your listeners? 1-2 minutes Return to the liturgy. Gesture toward the altar and say, Let s come back here now to this liturgy You re setting the stage for what will follow. Make a quick connection between the message today and the Eucharist. 30 second Thank your listeners and end on a very positive note. any group of people a few seconds to get used to the sound of your voice in a room and this is a way to begin that will help your listeners hear you. Again, make sure this stays brief. The point of the homily is not you or your story but the Word of God and this image or story is a way to set the stage for that. Make two or three quick points here. Remember that the message must fit into the lives of the people in front of you. How will celebrating Eucharist and receiving communion change you and your listeners? How will it help them incorporate the message of today s readings into their daily lives? Sit down. Conclude in prayer To conclude your preparation, think about the community for whom you ve just prepared to preach or teach, and spend a few moments in prayer. God of compassion, in whatever we do, may it be for your glory. As we long for your mercy, may we reach out to all those in need with the healing touch of your Son who is Christ the Lord. I open myself to the wisdom you alone can give and I offer myself as the earthen vessel which will carry your Word to these people. Through Christ our Lord. Amen. Preparing the Homily Mary Birmingham PastoralPlanning.com Page 6