A Lectio Divina Approach to the Sunday Liturgy
BREAKING THE BREAD OF THE WORD (Series 7, n. 12)
6th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year B – February 15, 2009
“To Imitate Christ, the Wounded Healer”
BIBLE READINGS
Lv 13:1, 44-46 // I Cor 10:31-11:1 // Mk 1:40-45
(N.B. Series 7 of BREAKING THE BREAD OF THE WORD: A LECTIO DIVINA APPROACH TO THE SUNDAY LITURGY includes a prayerful study of the Sunday liturgy of Year B from the perspective of the Second Reading. For other reflections on the Sunday liturgy of Year B, please go to the PDDM Web Archives: WWW.PDDM.US and open Series 1 & 4.)
I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS
In this Year of St. Paul, we continue to delve into the life of the early Christian community that was being formed in the ways of the Lord by the great apostle to the Gentiles. In this Sunday’s Second Reading (I Cor 10:31-11:1), we hear Paul exhorting the Corinthians to do everything for the glory of God and to be imitators of the ultimate model - Jesus Christ. A compassionate stance for others is a way of glorifying God, just as Jesus Christ has done.
The authors of the Days of the Lord, vol. 5, comment: “When he is called to settle a question of morality, to determine what attitude is appropriate to such and such concrete situation, Paul always rises to higher perspective … He reminds them of the mystery of God and Christ, in which they participate; the condition to which they have been raised by faith and baptism; their belonging to the Church, the body of Christ … (Paul’s moral teaching) has its origin and its motivation in God; it is the imitation of Christ … This passage gives us the conclusion of the discussion of a problem that no longer concerns us. In Corinth, as well as in all Gentile cities, markets offered meat that had come from the slaughter of animals sacrificed to idols in temples. Might Christians buy and eat this meat? Was this not a kind of participation in the pagan worship they had renounced? The discussion was lively in the community, and opposite opinions gave rise to confrontations. Paul’s answer is at once clear and full of nuances. Idols are nothing; therefore, the sacrifice of animals in the sanctuaries does not give the meat sold in the markets any particular qualification. Those who understand this can eat it without scruple. But they must renounce this freedom if it scandalizes some brothers and sisters (I Cor 8:1-13; 10:23-29). The term eidolothuta – the term designating meat coming from sacrifices to idols – is utterly foreign to us. But the principle Paul appeals to in order to solve it has not lost its vigor: everything that is permissible is not always edifying.”
The “glory of God” is the supreme object of our actions. But in seeking the divine glory, we must always be animated with charity – just like our model Jesus Christ. The authors of the Days of the Lord, vol. 5, explain: “Everything we do – eating, drinking, whatever else – we must do for the glory of God … This is the supreme object. But we ought not to forget that the concern for God’s glory must make us careful to act in such a way that others, in particular the weakest, may be encouraged to also give glory to God. Otherwise, freedom becomes a lack of respect and an obstacle in the way of some people … The immediate interest of others takes precedence over personal interest. We must seek the salvation of all, which entails humbly and patiently helping others to accede, in their turn, to the freedom of a well-formed conscience. In this, too, Christ is the model: he was never discouraged with his disciples, so slow to understand. And, fortunately, he behaves in the same way with each one of us.”
St. Paul’s exhortation to imitate Christ in dealing with the weak and vulnerable reinforces the challenge of this Sunday’s Gospel reading (Mk 1:40-45) and Old Testament reading (Lv 13:1-2, 44-46). The Christians of today and in every time and space are called to imitate the compassionate stance of Jesus Christ, especially for the marginalized and the “lepers” of human society. Our loving Lord and Savior achieved the fullness of his healing and saving ministry upon the Cross – covered with sores and wounds – despised and rejected like a repulsive leper. Like Jesus Christ, we too are called to be healers for others, even and especially in our own experience of passion and suffering.
The liturgical scholar Aelred Rosser remarks: “Jesus is the great healer – restoring our health at the moment he surrenders his life. The kingdom he brings is one in which all are healed and called to be healers. To be his disciple it not to be free of wounds and scars, but to be like him, a wounded healer.”
The cardiologist, Dr. Joseph Rogers (cf. “Will I Ever Be Healed” in GUIDEPOSTS Large Print Edition, December 1997, p. 40-49), who suffered severe burns from head to foot in a vehicular accident, tells of his recovery from the effects of hideous scars and his journey to healing. Like Jesus Christ, the font of healing and renewal of inner self, Dr. Rogers became a “wounded healer”.
In the burn center I was not exposed to mirrors, to protect me psychologically. My doctor explained the extent of my injuries, saying, “Your hair has been burned away, a portion of your nose is gone, there’s much facial scarring …” I tried to take it in, but it was too much to grasp. Later in the bathroom I studied my reflection in a towel bar. I could never be a doctor looking like that. My patients will be terrified of me! After three months in the hospital I went home. Family members took turns caring for me. I didn’t go anywhere except for physical therapy three times a week. I was afraid of people seeing me. My therapist assured me I was healing, but my spirit was still broken. God, I prayed, make me well. Give me back, my confidence.
Then early one morning when the leaves had fallen and the weather had turned bitterly cold, a man appeared at my front door. “It’s me, Casey Commander,” he said. I remembered him well. A year earlier he couldn’t even walk to his mailbox without severe chest pain. I had told him he needed to get exercise every day, no ifs, ands or buts. “I took your advice, and I’m up to four miles a day,” he said. “I want you to join me.” “I can’t,” I said. “You will, though,” he said. “I’ll be back tomorrow and we’ll start.” Casey returned and bundled me in jacket, mittens and hat as though I were a child. We walked a quarter of a block. The next day he came back, and the day after that. Soon we were walking four to five miles a day. I loved our time together, our talks, our silence as we swung our arms in rhythm, our feet bounding over sidewalks, sidestepping patches of ice and snow. As I breathed the sharp, cold Michigan air, I could feel health returning to body and soul. “You’re comin’ along, Doc,” Casey said.
This is how healing happens, I realized. Through doctors who take a little extra time, through friends who lend you their support, through former patients who give you a dose of your own tough medicine. In time I did return to my practice. Slowly I built up my skills again, and my confidence. In a way I think I am a better doctor because of the accident. No one’s afraid of me. In fact, I believe my patients might feel it easier to trust me, sensing what I’ve been through.
II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART
What did it mean to be a leper in the time of Moses and Aaron? What does it mean to be a leper today? Who are the “lepers” of today’s society? How do we help the victims of Hansen’s disease and those who are “lepers” in a figurative sense find healing and integrity?
How do we imitate the compassionate stance of Jesus to the lepers and the sick, to the helpless and vulnerable? How do we overcome the various alienations and cruelties in today’s world?
In this Year of St. Paul, do we exert special effort to understand his great pastoral concern and effort to bring about the “infinite formative movement” of the person in Jesus Christ? How do we respond to his exhortations: “Whatever you do, do everything for the glory of God … Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ” (I Cor 10:31; 11:1)?
III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD
Leader: Loving Father,
your Son Jesus approached and touched lepers,
comforting and curing them.
On the cross of sacrifice,
he identified himself completely
with the lepers of all time and space.
Bruised, derided and defiled,
the suffering Jesus, crucified on the tree of life,
had “no form or comeliness”.
He was detestable and repugnant to many.
But it was from the wounds of his tortured body
that life gushed forth.
By the power of his resurrection,
he healed those stricken by evil and infirmity.
Let the great physician Jesus
heal us from the leprosy of sin
and the brutal effects of our evil deeds.
Help us to be totally conformed to Jesus
in his life-giving sufferings on the cross.
Give us the grace
to imitate his compassionate stance
for the rejected and the vulnerable.
Through the love of the Holy Spirit,
help us to be conformed
to the wounded healer and savior of the world.
May we love and serve him,
now and forever.
Assembly: Amen.
IV. INTERIORIZATION OF THE WORD
The following is the bread of the living Word that will nourish us throughout the week. Please memorize it.
“Whatever you do, do everything for the glory of God … Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ.” (I Cor 10:31;11:1)
V. TOWARDS LIFE TRANSFORMATION
ACTION PLAN: Pray that the “lepers” of all time and space may find true healing in Jesus. By your compassionate stance and acts of charity to the sick, the vulnerable and the marginalized, let the saving power of Christ, the wounded healer, be felt in today’s world.
ACTION PLAN: To help us imitate more closely Christ, the wounded healer, and to incarnate better the healing love of God, make an effort to spend an hour in Eucharistic Adoration. Visit the PDDM WEB site (www.pddm.us) for the EUCHARISTIC ADORATION THROUGH THE LITURGICAL YEAR: A Weekly Pastoral Tool (Year B, vol. 5, # 12).
Prepared by Sr. Mary Margaret Tapang PDDM
PIAE DISCIPULAE DIVINI MAGISTRI
SISTER DISCIPLES OF THE DIVINE MASTER
60 Sunset Ave., Staten Island, NY 10314
Tel. (718) 494-8597 // (718) 761-2323
Website: WWW.PDDM.US