Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time
How interesting the Old Testament reading and the Gospel are. In the Old Testament, Moses and Aaron are told by the Lord that those who bear leprosy are to "dwell apart" since they are unclean.
In the Gospel, when Jesus heals the man with leprosy, Jesus "remains outside in deserted places" - in effect, dwelling apart.
But Jesus cannot be unclean - thus a reason for dwelling apart - so there must be something else to this. Perhaps in healing the man with leprosy, he has taken that man's illness, his sin, upon himself and is now bearing the burden of his sin.
All this is pre-figuring the Sacrifice upon the Cross - where Jesus takes upon himself the sins of the world in order to bear the punishment for our sakes.
I'd never thought of that before!
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