Ash Wednesday Shade of Grey

Meditation (excerpted by CtH) by Kate Rhodes

Leviticus 13:1-2, 44-46 – God’s command concerning quarantining of lepers
Gospel of Mark 1:40-45 – Jesus heals a leper

I remember helping in RCIA at my parish in Los Angeles, and we had broken out into small groups. In my small group, one of the candidates was reflecting on the Scripture readings for the week and said how she’d heard that the New Testament was essentially God’s apology for the Old Testament.

It was the first time I’d ever encountered this pretty pervasive (and WRONG!) idea that God thought He was too harsh in the Old Testament and so in the New Testament He plays his nice card and sends Jesus.

We live in a culture dominated by “bleeding heart” liberal ideology that wants a watery gospel where Jesus was this super nice guy and sin doesn’t exist.

But Jesus doesn’t contradict the Mosaic Law. He says in the Sermon on the mount: “Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets. I have come not to abolish but to fulfill.” (Math. 5:17)

And in today’s Gospel we have a beautiful example of that profession. Jesus doesn’t hug the leper, and say: “Moses was just so mean. I love you just the way you are.” No. He actually, literally makes him clean.

Jesus doesn’t overlook or ignore our flaws, he bears them for us. Just as the leper was cast out, sin casts us out. Sin isolates us. It divides us not only from God but from our family, our friends, and our communities.

Jesus wants to transform you the way that he transformed the leper. He wants to bring you out of isolation and into communion.

Be bold today to approach Christ as the leper approached Him—in full awareness of your brokenness—and ask him for healing.

http://blessedisshe.net/jesus-heals-leper/?mc_cid=673b2f3ab9&mc_eid=ccaefed520