Reaching Out to Others on the Margins

In today's Gospel, Luke 5: 12-16, a leper approaches Jesus and says to him: "'Lord, if you wish, you can make me clean.'  Jesus stretched out his hand, touched him, and said, 'I do will it. Be made clean.' And the leprosy left him immediately."

What would I do  if I were the leper? Would I  have the courage to approach Jesus, when I am supposed to be declaring myself unclean and staying away from anyone,  including Jesus?  Or, on the other hand, would I allow a leper to approach me, or would I yell out: 'Get away from me; you are unclean'? Or, simply, would I run the other way and not allow the leper to get close to me?

Hansen's disease, or leprosy, is rare today.  However, there are many persons who are ostracized today for other reasons: addictions, homelessness, ethnicity, social status, nationality, race,  various physical illness, mental diseases,  and so on.  Many people are locked in our jails and not given opportunities to rehabilitate themselves, to recover from addictions, to pursue an education that will give them the motivation to change their lives and be productive members of society. Some of our current leaders have put people in cages, locked them in detention facilities, or simply refused people asylum in our country.

Whom do I ostracize? Or, on the other hand, do I feel ostracized from some reason,  unwelcome in certain circles?  From whom do I stay away for any reason?  How welcoming am I to the stranger, the person who is afraid to speak out or be a part of "my circle"?  What's holding me back from embracing "the leprosy" within myself and therefore within another? 

Lord, have mercy on us for continuing to marginalize people? Forgive us for avoiding certain individuals, persons who are different from  ourselves, persons of others races, other ethnic backgrounds, other nationalities, other belief systems, other nations, other educational backgrounds and so on. Open our minds to be inclusive of others. Open our hearts to reach out in love and to find ways to grow in our understanding of others different from ourselves.

Being Cherished by the Lord

In today's first reading, Acts 16: 11-15, we meet Lydia, a woman who worshipped God and listened intently to Paul and his companions proclaim the Lord Jesus. As she is listening to Paul, the Lord "opened her heart to pay attention to what Paul was saying." Graces poured into her heart and she and her household asked to be baptized in Christ Jesus.

As you and I listen to the Word of God that comes to us in the Scriptures, in our participation in sacred liturgies, or through others witnessing to the Lord, our hearts, too, are opened by Jesus.  Graces pour in and, like Lydia, hopefully, graces pour out onto others with whom we interact throughout the day!  Triumphantly, through the Holy Spirit operative in our lives, we live the Pascal Mystery as the day unfolds, having sat at the Lord's feet in prayer.

Because of the mercy and compassion of the Lord, we experience what the psalmist in today's responsorial psalm, Psalm 149, says to us; namely, that the "Lord takes delight in his people, and "adorns the lowly with victory."