Sixth Sunday, Ordinary Time [B]

 


SIXTH SUNDAY OF ORDINARY TIME


Jesus performs a healing, but he insists that the healing should receive nothing in the way of publicity (see Mark 1:40-45). You can’t help wondering, why keep something like this quiet? You’re perplexed, and yet you make the choice to read on. Eventually you come to realize that additional pieces have to be put into place. Jesus wants to be understood as a particular kind of Messiah—a Messiah who operates outside of the box. 


This information helps you as you read along. It’s helpful because the reading from Leviticus has left a bad taste within your mouth (13:38-46). Imagine being in that situation! Imagine what it would have meant for an Old Testament Hebrew, contracting the disease of leprosy. The condition is devastating enough; then you factor in the experience of being ostracized, declared ritually “unclean.”  The passage disturbs you deeply. It breaks your heart. And still, you read on. 


By reading on, you finally encounter Mark’s finished product: the Messiah who suffers. Again, this helps you. It bothers you that people end up suffering, through no fault of their own. It bothers you even more if you’re the one who has to suffer. As far as you are concerned, suffering represents something bad. But it somehow becomes less bad when you recognize that the Lord is journeying alongside you. He’s not locked away in an ivory tower. Rather, he’s accompanying you as you forge ahead, through the slings and the arrows of life. It remains a challenging path—challenging and yet, at the same time, manageable. 


It’s like being lost in the woods. You wander and you search. Suddenly you see another traveler! You’re smiling now, figuring this individual will be able to show you the way. It appears that your bad situation is now turning into a good situation. You discover, however, that this person is equally lost. So your bad situation continues to present itself as a bad situation. Still, your situation now seems a little bit less bad. At least, now, you don’t feel quite so alone. Now, at least you have some companionship. Mark’s point is that you’re being provided, not just with companionship, but with the gift of Divine Companionship. 

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