OMELIE / Omelie EN

11 feb 2024

11/02/2024 - 6th Sunday in O. T. - B

11/02/2024 - 6^th Sunday in O. T. - B

Reading 1 LV 13,1-2.45-46 Psalm 31 Reading 2 1COR 10,31 - 11,1 Gospel MK 1,40-45

“Blessed is he whose fault is taken away whose sin is covered”. These are the words of the Psalm in between the readings. It is a good thing that the Word of God is not saying «blessed is the man without sin», but the man whose fault has been lifted. The Lord knows we are all sinners, that we are walking the path left us by Adam, a path marked by the arrogance which is making us disobey God. We can become blessed when the sin is taken away from us or covered by God’s love with the blood of the Lamb.

We are sinners and, sadly, our sin is bearing its fruit in our life. The fruit of sin is evil, sickness and death. Every detection of evil is evidence that sin has come in the world. So it is sickness, when it strikes us we are not naturally going around looking for the culprit, as warlocks and shamans do. We know that sin has come in the world «through the devil's envy» and it is the thing responsible for all evil, including sickness. Sick people are not worse sinners than healthy people: there is really no point therefore in giving someone the fault for their sickness: there is a point instead in making an effort to leave out sin from the world and to try to take it away, together with Jesus.

When we meet a sick person, or even when we ourselves become sick, let us do as Jesus did: let us try to solidify the faith in us and in our brother's heart. It is the faith, going back to the Father with trust and love, to make a man a true man, full of the peace and mercy which make of him a gift for anyone who comes close. It is the faith to transform even sickness in the occasion for offering themselves, for love, for God’s blessing, and it is faith too the interior environment which fosters the regaining of health of our limbs and the root of the possible healing of the body.

In meeting the leper, Jesus is moved, exactly because that man is begging Him to purify him from his sin in order to be healed from the disease. The disease of leprosy, which drives away men, which breaks the communion and the peace, which hinders dialogue and sharing, it is only evidence that evil has become active, and its terrible fruit is devastating men’s life. Jesus purifies men from sin, so they can offer the sacrifice to God and going back to live the brotherhood with the others, recovered by going back to be children of the Father.

Saint Paul gives us a simple and effective recipe so our life may be always be immersed in faith and we can heal from the consequences of sin in the world. Everything you do, even the smallest things, even normal things, like eating and drinking, everything do for the glory of God. Anything we do, let us not stop or even just distract anyone from going to Jesus, from running with Him towards the Father, from having trust in Him. Every job of ours, every thought and action will be focused on guiding towards and turning ourselves to Jesus.

The apostle is offering himself to us as an example of life, and we will imitate him so we can be an example of faith for our brethren. We have contributed so much to their sin and to the sin spread in the world, that now we can contribute to its healing. Every breath we take will be a thank you to the Father, every action of ours will be a praise for Jesus, every meeting of ours the possibility given to the Holy Spirit to transform the earth.