Word to the Wise
Friday, June 25, 2021 - Friday in the 12th Week in Ordinary Time
[Gen 17:1, 9-10, 15-22 and Matt 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 clean." He stretched out his hand, touched him, and said, "I will do it. Be made clean." His leprosy was cleansed immediately. Then Jesus said to him, "See that you tell no one, but go show yourself to the priest, and offer the gift that Moses prescribed; that will be proof for them." [Matthew]
FRIDAY, JUNE 25, 2021 FRIDAY IN THE 12TH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME
[Genesis 1, 9-10, 15-22 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 clean." He stretched out his hand, touched him, and said, "I will do it. Be made clean." His leprosy was cleansed immediately. Then Jesus said to him, "See that you tell no one, but go show yourself to the priest, and offer the gift that Moses prescribed; that will be proof for them." [Matthew]
The Sermon on the Mount shows Jesus' authority to teach. Now the Gospel According to Matthew shows Jesus' power to heal in a series of three miracles: a leper, a centurion's servant, and Peter's mother-in-law. Today's gospel passage recounts the first of the three - the encounter with the leper.
The leper addresses Jesus with a title of faith: "Lord!" Jesus shows compassion that ignores questions of ritual/social cleanliness by touching the leper. Jesus shows respect for the Mosaic Law by telling the leper to go and take care of the official declaration of healing prescribed in the law. There is some tension already present that will appear over and over again in Jesus' ministry, and especially in the Gospel According to Matthew. Compassion and faith come before the law, but the law is not to be entirely ignored. [Matt. 5:17-20]. When Jesus is questioned about which laws (of 613) are more important, it is love of God and neighbor that come first.
The healing of the leper shows Jesus' authority over nature and illness, but it also teaches us about compassion and law. In our own Catholic tradition there is, to put it mildly, a bunch of laws and traditions. Jesus teaches us the important perspective to use in understanding and implementing these in daily life. AMEN