February 12, 2012
6th Sunday in Ordinary Time
On Friday I was visiting parishioners at Buffalo General Hospital and Roswell Park Cancer Institute and I noticed the very public mission statement of R.P.C.I. Our mission is to understand, to prevent and to cure cancer! Scientists, in "understanding" the chemistry of the cell, are closer to finding a cure or even possibly preventing the occurrence of cancer. But even with a cure or prevention of cancer, we will always ask the question "why" of sickness and suffering. Once again in the Saturday morning Buffalo News, Rabbi Marc Gellman in "The God Squad" is questioned: "Why do the righteous suffer?" Understanding escapes us. In the Gospel of Mark, a leper approaches Jesus. "Leprosy" in the Bible refers to various skin diseases that, when apparent, will lead to separation from the community. The ancient mind saw this type of visible affliction as a sign of God's disfavor. Thus a person with "leprosy" endures physical pain and discomfort but also finds him/herself alienated from community and from God. The leper in the Gospel breaks all rules coming to Jesus requesting: "If you wish, you can make me clean." He does not demand a miracle. Moved with compassion, Jesus touches the leper and heals him. In doing this simple gesture, Jesus makes himself ritually unclean and unable to enter the synagogue to pray to God. In healing the leper, Jesus restores him to family/community and brings him into right relationship with God, the Father. Jesus heals the entire person -- body and soul. We must pray for the courage and honesty of the leper to step forward, unconcerned about social convention, to confess our sins and to acknowledge our need for healing. We must follow the example of Jesus and bring God's healing and forgiveness to others. We are inspired by Blessed Marianne Cope who will be canonized in October of this year. She and other Franciscan Sister from Syracuse, New York joined Fr. Damien caring for lepers (Hansen's disease) on the Island of Molokai. She is a member of the Franciscan Sisters of Mills Street, now the Sisters of St. Francis of the Neumann Communities. Outreach to the poor and sick is the hallmark of our Catholic faith.
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5th Sunday in Ordinary Time
