1. Compare and contrast the way lepers were treated in the Old Testament (First Reading) with the way Jesus treated them (Gospel).

2. In those days ritual demanded that if you had the sore of leprosy you had to “tear your clothes, be excluded, made to live apart from those you love, and you were forced to announce your presence by shouting, ‘Unclean.’” Not to this extreme, but are some people treated in a similar way today? Give examples.

Second Reading
1 Corinthians 10:31-11:1

1. Paul says, “Whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do everything for the glory of God.” In which of your day’s activities is it easy for you to remember the presence of God? Which are difficult? Can you gradually remember the presence of God in all your actions?

2. In Paul’s time, when Christians sat down to share meals, there were a lot of problems, caused by different religious backgrounds and practices. How does the statement “do everything for the glory of God” work for you as a solution when there is a decision about how to act?

Gospel
Mark 1:40-45

1. “Moved with pity, he stretched out his hand, touched him, and said to him, ‘I do will it. Be made clean.’” Are you moved with pity in any of the “unclean” situations we are experiencing in our world: Pandemic? Climate crises? Racial injustice? Trafficking? Is there anything you can do to aid Jesus with the cleansing?

2. Lepers were excluded from everything. They had to remain outside inhabited centers. So, the first transgression here is the leper’s. What does he see in Jesus that makes him break all the rules? What is Jesus telling us with this story?

The second transgression is that of Jesus: even though the Law prohibited touching lepers, he is moved, extends his hand and touches him, to heal him. Someone would have said: he sinned. He did something the law prohibits. He is a transgressor. It is true: He is a transgressor. He does not limit Himself to words, but touches him. To touch with love means to establish a relationship, to enter into communion, to become involved in the life of another person even to the point of sharing their wounds.

With that gesture, Jesus reveals that God, who is not indifferent, does not keep himself at a “safe distance.” Rather, he draws near out of compassion and touches our life to heal it with tenderness. It is God’s style: closeness, compassion and tenderness. God’s transgression. He is a great transgressor in this sense.

Pope Francis Angelus for 4 Ord B
Feb. 14, 2021