First Reading Commentary
In this Reading Reading
The descriptive words used here to diagnose
leprosy clearly indicate an unattractive appearance. In meditation and reflection it’s always nice
to hold on to positive and uplifting images and thoughts; but once in a while,
for the benefit of our souls, it’s wise to reflect on just how unsightly and
hideous sin is. What does a soul look
like that is marked with scabs, pustules and blotches?
The prophet Habakkuk, speaking of Almighty God,
says: “Your Eyes are too pure to behold evil, and You cannot look on iniquity”
(Habakkuk 1:13). In this Reading
Second Reading Commentary
In Saint Paul’s day there were concerns about
the possibility that food was bought at the marketplace from an unbeliever or
perhaps the animal used for meat had been sacrificed to pagan gods. In his Letter to the Romans, Saint Paul put
these concerns to rest when he wrote: “He who eats, eats for the Lord, for he
gives thanks to God. And he who does not
eat, abstains for the Lord, and gives thanks to God” (Romans 14:6). Saint Paul is
telling them to not let their concerns weigh on their consciences, but instead
accept everything as being from the Lord and “do everything for the glory of
God” because everything and everyone belongs to God (cf. Psalm 49 [50]:10-12).
Food and drink belong to God,
therefore, eat and drink with a clear conscience. Accept even suffering as being from God - not
literally from God but allowed by God, trusting that if He allows it, then it
will benefit either our own soul or the soul of someone who is in dire need of
assistance. This is our acceptance of
Christ’s invitation to be co-workers in His work of redemption.
Paul writes: “Be imitators of me.” Our Lord has blessed His Church with many
souls throughout the centuries who are worthy of imitation; and they are worthy
of imitation because they imitated Christ.
They followed the prescription of Saint John the Baptist: Christ
increased and they decreased (cf. John
3:30).
Gospel Commentary
Commenting on this Gospel, Nicholas of Lyra
(1270-1340) points out, “It was not the intention of Christ, that he should not
tell anybody; had that been His wish, he would easily have realized it; He
spoke thus purposely, to show us that we ought not to seek the empty praises of
men.”
Siding with the cured leper, the question must
be asked of anyone who truly feels that the man was disobedient to our Lord:
How could anyone who has been profoundly touched by Jesus Christ remain
silent? By publicizing “the whole
matter,” the man in reality was evangelizing, that is, bringing to others that
very same Jesus Christ Who touched him so deeply.
In any effort to evangelize, there is no glory
to be gained by seeking the praises of others since it is the Holy Spirit Who
does the work; but if Christ is to be proclaimed by anyone, then it’s vital
that the hearers see Jesus in that person.
Our Lord also told the man to offer the
sacrifices prescribed because the law remained in full force until the Passion
of Christ, in which was offered a perfect Sacrifice that did away with the
sacrifices of the law; or better stated: the sacrifices of the old law found
their fulfillment in the One Supreme Sacrifice of Christ. Jesus tells the man to show himself to the
priest so that he may be reinstated into the religious community.
“It was
impossible for Jesus to enter a town openly” because of His miraculous
healings. Although Jesus performed many
signs and wonders, this was not why He came.
How many would remain loyal to the miracle Worker when He would later
become the crucified Messiah? In today’s
morally challenged world, how many still refuse to be lured by the wiles of the
culture and continue to fight the good fight until Christ comes again in glory?
