Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time
February 12, 2012

 

 

Read Sunday’s gospel, Mark 1:40-45.

Gospel Summary
A leper approached Jesus. He had a very strong faith and knew that Jesus could heal him with just a touch. Jesus was moved by the man’s faith and the circumstances of his disease. Jesus touched him and healed him. Jesus was also concerned that the law be fulfilled and told the man to see a priest and cleanse himself. He also asked the man not to tell anyone how he had been cured, but the man was too full of joy to keep the news to himself. He told many people of the miracle Jesus had performed in his life.

 

Reflection for Families
Not many things break the heart of a parent so quickly as seeing their child rejected by another person. Sometimes children are cruel and shun others or exclude them. Even more difficult are circumstances where adults or someone once trusted turn away from a child. Most of us don’t witness these acts in our lives personally, but we certainly read about them in the paper or hear about them on the news. We get just a small glimpse of what it might have been like for the leper in today’s gospel who was not even allowed to live with healthy people. We also better understand the courage and compassion of Jesus who touched the man and accepted him.

 

Bringing the Gospel into Your Family
Try to think of people your family knows (or knows about) who are ostracized by society. Maybe there is someone at school whose clothes are more worn out or dirtier than everyone else’s. Maybe there’s someone at work whose odd behavior prevents him or her from being accepted. In our communities there are those who don’t fit the norm—perhaps they are single parents, unemployed, sick, or living away from home either in prison, foster homes, or hospitals. Come up with some ways that as a family you can reach out to these people just as Jesus reached out to the leper. What can you do to show the same compassion Jesus showed?

Discussion Starters

1. Just like the leper, my faith was especially strong when…
2. The most difficult outcast for me to show compassion to is…
3. Like the leper, I probably couldn’t have kept my mouth shut either. A miracle I have told others about happened when…