Joyful Witnesses!

6th Sunday Sunday In Ordinary Time
15 February 2009


We are God’s people, the sheep of his flock: come, let us worship him, alleluia.


First reading Leviticus 13:1-2,45-46The Lord said to Moses and Aaron, ‘If a swelling or scab or shiny spot appears on a man’s skin, a case of leprosy of the skin is to be suspected. The man must be taken to Aaron, the priest, or to one of the priests who are his sons.

‘A man infected with leprosy must wear his clothing torn and his hair disordered; he must shield his upper lip and cry, “Unclean, unclean.” As long as the disease lasts he must be unclean; and therefore he must live apart: he must live outside the camp.’


Psalm or canticle: Psalm 31:1-2,5,11


Second reading 1 Corinthians 10:31-11:1
Whatever you eat, whatever you drink, whatever you do at all, do it for the glory of God. Never do anything offensive to anyone – to Jews or Greeks or to the Church of God; just as I try to be helpful to everyone at all times, not anxious for my own advantage but for the advantage of everybody else, so that they may be saved. Take me for your model, as I take Christ.

Gospel Mark 1:40-45
A leper came to Jesus and pleaded on his knees: ‘If you want to’ he said ‘you can cure me.’ Feeling sorry for him, Jesus stretched out his hand and touched him. ‘Of course I want to!’ he said. ‘Be cured!’ And the leprosy left him at once and he was cured. Jesus immediately sent him away and sternly ordered him, ‘Mind you say nothing to anyone, but go and show yourself to the priest, and make the offering for your healing prescribed by Moses as evidence of your recovery.’ The man went away, but then started talking about it freely and telling the story everywhere, so that Jesus could no longer go openly into any town, but had to stay outside in places where nobody lived. Even so, people from all around would come to him.


Reflection
By Anabelle Payod - Balla

My friend was able to see the late Pope John Paul II up close and personal when JP2 visited the Philippines for the World Youth Day celebration in Manila way back in 1995. He said that the encounter touched him and gave him an overwhelming emotion of joy. He talked about it to almost everyone he knows. The joy he felt inside is driving him to share more. He just can’t stop talking about it. I guess this is what happened to the leper in the Gospel reading this Sunday. He was so overjoyed with the healing that he was not able to contain his happiness and shared what happened to every person he came face to face with.

This is so natural to all of us. We just can’t contain such emotion. We need to let it out by sharing it with others else we feel like we are going to explode or collapse

I am sure Jesus will not mind now if we do what the healed man did in the Gospel in our present time. Every encounter we have with God that gave us overwhelming happiness should be shared. Let us not stop ourselves from sharing that happiness with others. Let’s be natural, let’s keep talking about it. Let us be joyful witnesses of God. Let go of the happiness, shout and jump for joy for the glory of God!

Don’t hesitate. Don’t be ashamed. Give it all! Be happy in proclaiming Jesus to the world!

Go and tell how God made you happy.