Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time

MARK 1:40-45

Scripture

A leper came to Jesus and kneeling down begged him and said, “If you wish, you can make me clean.” Moved with pity, he stretched out his hand, touched him, and said to him, “I do will it. Be made clean.” The leprosy left him immediately, and he was made clean.

The Jesuit Post – Finding God in All Things

• Brother Brett in Guadalajara, Mexico
• The children at his door
• Their wants and needs

Brother Brett Reflects on His Sometime Uncaring Nature

• “I can be cold, uncaring and unfeeling in the face of so much pain”
• Remembers Jesuit Fr. Greg Boyle of Homeboy Industries in Los Angeles, words:
• “You stand with the poor, the powerless, the voiceless.”
• “You stand with those whose dignity has been denied.”
• “You stand with those whose burdens are more than they can bear.”
• “You stand against forgetting that we belong to each other.”
• “You obliterate the illusion that we are separate-that there is an us and them.”

Jesus’ Ministry

• Jesus addressed those always looking in from the outside
• Today he encounters the Untouchables -The Lepers
• They were forced to live outside the community
• They were among the walking dead and forced to cry out
• Others needed to scamper away

Jesus Encountered Lonely People – Moved with Compassion

• Compassion in Greek – Deeply moved by another’s pain
• Originated deep in his guts
• Jesus was about giving a person their life back

Our Struggle Today

• The “us verses them” mentality
• Our perspective is the only right perspective
• We miss opportunities to connect and understand others
• Division in our Church of people who follow the same Jesus

Jesus and Division

• Jesus’ heart is saddened, too
• He wants to break down barriers
• He wants us to reunite in respect and love
• Our differences must turn into dialogue not disgust

A Word from Pope Francis

• March 27, 2020 – Saint Peter Square – Pandemic
• “We realize that we are all in the same boat, all of us fragile and called to row together, each of us in need of comforting the other.”
• ‘On this boat…are all of us, Just like those disciples (in the boat being thrown around in the sea’s storm), who spoke out anxiously with one voice, saying We are perishing (Mark4:38) “Only together, can we do this.”

Questions for Reflection

• What impacted you from today’s Readings and/or homily?
• Are there times when you feel uncaring to the suffering around you?
• Who are those that you feel called to stand with?
• Have you had opportunities to dialogue with those who think differently than you?
• How does the model of Jesus challenge you or inspire you?

Live Connected

• Consider those that Jesus might be calling you to stand with. Make an effort to respond in some way.