Word to the Wise
Friday, June 27, 2008 - Friday in the Twelfth Week of Ordinary Time
[2 Kings 25:1-12 and Matthew 8:1-4]When Jesus came down from the mountain, great crowds followed him. And then a leper approached, did him homage, and said, "Lord, if you wish, you can make me clear." He stretched out his hand, touched him, and said, "I will do it. Be made clean."
The great discourse known as the Sermon on the Mount comes to an end. Jesus has demonstrated his identity as a teacher as great if not greater than Moses! Now Matthew shows him to be as compassionate as he is authoritative. This compassion extends so far as to actually touch the leper, which would make Jesus unclean, too, in the eyes of some Jews of the time, especially the Pharisees. He heals the leper, which has the effect not only of getting rid of the disease but restoring the leper to the community. In keeping with the Jewish thrust of Matthew's portrait, Jesus orders the leper to go and make the necessary ritual sacrifice of the law. Experience has shown that on some occasions it will not be possible to exercise the role of a teacher of faith in a particular milieu in the sense of explaining what it is that we believe and why. The only kind of "teaching" will be that of compassionate response to whomever we encounter in need. The example of Mother Teresa of Calcutta comes to mind. Even in a pluralistic society such as our own, the religiously motivated response of love, expressed through compassion and generosity will preach and teach eloquently. Jesus' actions are in accord with his words. He reaches out to the marginated in his society: the leper and Centurion (Saturday's gospel) were not likely people who would have been in the crowd on the Mount. Compassion following on teaching shows once more the importance of integrity in the connection of word and action. Jesus leads the way. AMEN
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