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We had a great mass this past Sunday with Fr. Andy. We learned about following our souls and not our minds. Our minds will try to trick us
into thinking we don't need God, but our souls know better!
Welcome to the 6th Sunday in Ordinary Time.
In the First Reading from Leviticus, the LORD tells Moses and Aaron to bring all those that are infected with leprosy to Aaron (the priest) and
he will declare him unclean. Those with leprosy must keep their garments rent and their head bare, muffling their beard and crying out, "Unclean,
unclean!" They must live apart from others. In the time of Leviticus, the people made a direct connection between a physical ailment and sin.
So if a person had leprosy, it was believed they were being punished for a sin either they, or their parents, had committed. So illness carried a
double whammy - not only were you considered contagious and must be avoided, but you were also seen as morally or spiritually unfit. This was
done to protect the community, not only from a severe illness, but from moral corruption as well. So those with leprosy had to live outside of
the camp - they were not allowed to touch, to hug, or to embrace those they knew and loved. They were utterly dependent on the charity, from a
safe distance, of others. And if lepers recovered from their disease, they had to go through elaborate rites of purification to rejoin the
community, recover their identity, their sense of being one of God's people, their sense of being loved and worthy of being loved. Jesus could
identify with the leper. Jesus was also outcast from His family and people, declared unclean and cast out of the city to be executed. When He
was "examined" by priests at the end of His ministry, he was found to be unacceptable, not a true member of the people and unworthy of God's
love.
In the Second Reading from 1 Corinthians, Paul tells us to do everything for the glory of God. He asks us to try to "please everyone in every
way," not seeking our own benefit, but the benefit of others that they may be saved by God. We are to imitate Christ. It is important to keep
God the center of our lives. Many people are happy to let God exist if God will make man the highest value in the universe. But God, not man, is
the most valuable being in the universe. We are secondary. We must strive for righteousness, namely, to respond correctly to what is glorious
and perfect. And that is God. In order to be righteous we must love God with all our heart, soul, mind and strength. The very purpose of our
lives, the reason for our existence, is to give glory to God.
In the Gospel from Mark, Jesus heals a leper. And He did so in an unthinkable manner - He TOUCHED the leper. He bridged the gap between
what is clean and unclean. He humbled Himself and made Himself, in the eyes of many, unclean along with the leper. He made Himself one with
the leper, with His touch, He bears their sin and claims their uncleanliness as His own. By doing this, Jesus' life could have been destroyed for
weeks, months or years based on what others thought of Him. Is this way of thinking far from what many experience today? People being judged
by others, treating them different based on their appearance? People deciding who is acceptable and not acceptable within a community? Our
judgments can cause people to become outcasts. We know that by Jesus touching the leper, He was not made unclean, but the leper was made
clean. Jesus doesn't judge us. We are accepted by God because He has entered our condition, He knows our needs and our weaknesses. He knows
us as His children, as His brothers and sisters. No matter what sin, what fear, what interior (or exterior) blemish exists, God reaches out to
touch us, to make us whole, to restore us to the relationships we should have with God and with our community.
Here are the songs for this Sunday:
Opening: My Glorious - Garrard & Smith
Psalm: I turn to you, Lord, in time of trouble, and you fill me with the joy of salvation.
Presentation: Our God - Tomlin
Communion: For Your Glory - Maher
Closing: Trading My Sorrows - Evans
Prayer Requests:
That we would recognize God's healing presence within us, knowing that He also yearns to restore us and make us new.
That we would invite others to know Christ in a way that they would be in communion with Him and restore their relationship with Him through
our example.
That through our lives others would know how much we love, worship, and serve God.
For those that feel outcast, that they may be restored into community.
That we would not judge others, but uphold the dignity of all persons from conception to natural death.
For all those who are in need, that they would trust in God's timing and providence.
Alright, have a great week and I hope to see you Sunday.
Peace,
Tori
into thinking we don't need God, but our souls know better!
Welcome to the 6th Sunday in Ordinary Time.
In the First Reading from Leviticus, the LORD tells Moses and Aaron to bring all those that are infected with leprosy to Aaron (the priest) and
he will declare him unclean. Those with leprosy must keep their garments rent and their head bare, muffling their beard and crying out, "Unclean,
unclean!" They must live apart from others. In the time of Leviticus, the people made a direct connection between a physical ailment and sin.
So if a person had leprosy, it was believed they were being punished for a sin either they, or their parents, had committed. So illness carried a
double whammy - not only were you considered contagious and must be avoided, but you were also seen as morally or spiritually unfit. This was
done to protect the community, not only from a severe illness, but from moral corruption as well. So those with leprosy had to live outside of
the camp - they were not allowed to touch, to hug, or to embrace those they knew and loved. They were utterly dependent on the charity, from a
safe distance, of others. And if lepers recovered from their disease, they had to go through elaborate rites of purification to rejoin the
community, recover their identity, their sense of being one of God's people, their sense of being loved and worthy of being loved. Jesus could
identify with the leper. Jesus was also outcast from His family and people, declared unclean and cast out of the city to be executed. When He
was "examined" by priests at the end of His ministry, he was found to be unacceptable, not a true member of the people and unworthy of God's
love.
In the Second Reading from 1 Corinthians, Paul tells us to do everything for the glory of God. He asks us to try to "please everyone in every
way," not seeking our own benefit, but the benefit of others that they may be saved by God. We are to imitate Christ. It is important to keep
God the center of our lives. Many people are happy to let God exist if God will make man the highest value in the universe. But God, not man, is
the most valuable being in the universe. We are secondary. We must strive for righteousness, namely, to respond correctly to what is glorious
and perfect. And that is God. In order to be righteous we must love God with all our heart, soul, mind and strength. The very purpose of our
lives, the reason for our existence, is to give glory to God.
In the Gospel from Mark, Jesus heals a leper. And He did so in an unthinkable manner - He TOUCHED the leper. He bridged the gap between
what is clean and unclean. He humbled Himself and made Himself, in the eyes of many, unclean along with the leper. He made Himself one with
the leper, with His touch, He bears their sin and claims their uncleanliness as His own. By doing this, Jesus' life could have been destroyed for
weeks, months or years based on what others thought of Him. Is this way of thinking far from what many experience today? People being judged
by others, treating them different based on their appearance? People deciding who is acceptable and not acceptable within a community? Our
judgments can cause people to become outcasts. We know that by Jesus touching the leper, He was not made unclean, but the leper was made
clean. Jesus doesn't judge us. We are accepted by God because He has entered our condition, He knows our needs and our weaknesses. He knows
us as His children, as His brothers and sisters. No matter what sin, what fear, what interior (or exterior) blemish exists, God reaches out to
touch us, to make us whole, to restore us to the relationships we should have with God and with our community.
Here are the songs for this Sunday:
Opening: My Glorious - Garrard & Smith
Psalm: I turn to you, Lord, in time of trouble, and you fill me with the joy of salvation.
Presentation: Our God - Tomlin
Communion: For Your Glory - Maher
Closing: Trading My Sorrows - Evans
Prayer Requests:
That we would recognize God's healing presence within us, knowing that He also yearns to restore us and make us new.
That we would invite others to know Christ in a way that they would be in communion with Him and restore their relationship with Him through
our example.
That through our lives others would know how much we love, worship, and serve God.
For those that feel outcast, that they may be restored into community.
That we would not judge others, but uphold the dignity of all persons from conception to natural death.
For all those who are in need, that they would trust in God's timing and providence.
Alright, have a great week and I hope to see you Sunday.
Peace,
Tori
