Homily, February 11, 2024

Readings: Leviticus 13:1-2, 44-46; 1 Corinthians 10:31–11:1; Mark 1:40-45

“If you wish, you can make me clean.”

Dear friends, I know many of us have people who do things for us. Someone to cut our own lawns, change the oil in the car, do our taxes, fix our plumbing problems, do our home-cleaning. However, I often hear people, “I have the cleaning lady coming tomorrow! So, I have to go home and clean up before they come.”

Doesn’t that sound crazy? We’re paying people to come clean our houses, and yet we feel the need to make it somewhat clean before they get there. The main reason for that seems relatively obvious . . .. . We don’t want others to see our dirt.

We’re kind of embarrassed to have them see the mess we normally live with, embarrassed to have them see clothes on the floor or dishes in the sink or an unmade bed. In the end, it comes down to appearances. We’re ok with having someone clean --- but we don’t want her to think that we really have that much dirt, that much disorder, that much mess. We want to paint a very different picture! 

And, of course, we do it in so many areas of our lives. We strive to make sure that people see an idolized version of ourselves, a kind of false version that leads them to believe things that might not be true. We do our best to hide the dirt, anyway we can --- hoping others don’t ever see it and change their opinion of us.

We hide our dishonesty, careful not to let others see some of our questionable practices.

We hide our immorality, expressing fake outrage at the failings of others.

We hide our fears and our doubts, choosing instead to pretend to “have it all together”.

We hide our fallibility, refusing to admit our mistakes.

But don’t we like the dirt of others? It’s funny how that works. While we try to have others see only the best in us, we have no problem making sure the dirt of others is out there for all to see. We gossip. We tease --- not in a kind, playful way, but in a way that truly hurts. We mock. We judge. And our faults remain.

“If you wish, you can make me clean.”

Let’s echo the words of the leper in today’s Gospel passage. May we truly understand that a better world starts with a better me and a better you, not with the faults or failings of others? I’m unclean. That’s where I need to start. And only God can take that dirt away, only God can help us be the beautiful person he created us to be.

Cleaning the house is neither something we do on our own, nor is it something we pay someone else to do. Rather, it’s both --- a two-person job. God and each of us. And by the way --- it’s already paid for because God loves us unconditionally. 

As we approach Ash Wednesday and the season of repentance, we hear how Jesus responded to that man who was considered unclean, both physically and spiritually. Over the following forty days, we will approach our Lord as sinners, in need of forgiveness, in need of being made clean. May Jesus’ response to the leper in today’s Gospel assure us of his love and mercy despite our failings. ###