Lepers and God&#039;s Compassion

Jesus said to the cleansed leper, “See that you tell no one anything, but go, show yourself to the priestand offer for your cleansing what Moses prescribed;that will be proof for them.”
The man went away and began to publicize the whole matter. He spread the report abroad so that it was impossible for Jesus to enter a town openly.
The Gospel According to Mark 1:44-45a

Can you imagine what it was like to be that leper? Dreaded, outcast, hopeless, he is suddenly cured by the compassion of God. Keep silent? Totally impossible! The joy of the Good News burst out of him.
Note that Jesus is acting as a devout rabbi. He sends the man to the priests and tells him to obey the Torah.
For Black History Month, take a look at an article on Joseph Rainey, the first Black congressman from South Caroline, serving from 1870 to 1879. In his eight years in the House, he spoke out against negative stereotypes, for integrated schools, and for the rights of the Chinese and Indians as well as Blacks.

In 1872, for instance, . . . Rainey disputed the way his colleague had depicted the African American: “Now, since he is no longer a slave, one would suppose him a leper, to hear the objections expressed against his equality before the law. Sir, this is the remnant of the old pro-slavery spirit, which must eventually give place to more humane and elevating ideas.”

In 1878, with the white Bloody Shirt insurrection of the 1870s in full swing, Rainey lost his seat. In his final remarks in March 1879, Rainey declared, “I was legally elected but defrauded and tissued out of my seat,” referring to the practice of folding a second ballot on tissue paper inside a regular paper ballot. The full article is at: https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/joseph-rainey-first-black-congressman-180976502/.

The struggle for more humane and elevating ideas continues, which is why your parish needs help with the Social Justice Commission. We currently have three members, but we need three or more people to help develop a path forward and re-energize this critical commission. Contact Diane Figaro at paa@st-therese.cc or 206.720.7270.

We also need someone with a modest familiarity with computers to help Nicole run our live stream equipment. At a time that we’re running only one Mass and that only about 20% full, the live stream is our best way to keep our parish vibrant. If you’re interested, contact Nicole St Hilaire at nicoles@st-therese.cc or 206.720.7277.

And last, there is a vegetable garden behind the Parish Center that was begun by a school parent for a life-skills class at the school. Unfortunately, he has moved out of town, opening the opportunity for someone to continue the garden to support St. Mary’s Food Bank. If interested, contact me (John Russell) at jvrussell85@gmail.com or 206.919.3742.

Collections July 1 - February 11, 2021 $257,245
Where we need to be: $240,098
Last year at this time: $226,542