We are all one family under one God

February 12, 2006 -- Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time

By Bishop Robert Morneau

	Bishop Robert Morneau
	Questions for reflection: 1. What is your sense of the common good? 2. What tasks has God assigned you in the healing of others? 3. Does the image of the "Earthrise" speak to your imagination?

In 1955, John Steichen had a showing at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City. The title of the exhibit, which featured 503 photographs, was "The Family of Man." The exhibit went world wide and was shown in 37 countries. The subjects of the exhibit - birth, love, children, earth, the family - were pertinent to all cultures and races. The power of this showing, now available in book form, is truly haunting. It drives home the fact that we are all essentially the same; we all deal with birth and death, joy and sorrows, love and hate, peace and war.

The images in the Gospel are also pertinent and appeal to all cultures and races. Jesus shows a particular interest in the hurting, the miserable, the alienated, the outcast. Today, we see him healing a person with leprosy. This meant that the leper was able to get back into "the family of man," no longer marginalized and shunned. We see in this miracle the very heart of redemption and reconciliation.

St. Paul had a sense of a broader community than just his native Jewish people. Paul insists that we imitate Christ to the extent that we give no offense to Jew or Greek, and that we do everything for the glory of God. St. Paul had a profound sense of the mystical body of Christ. The family of humankind is singular in nature and we are all members of that community.

Again in the first reading from the book of Leviticus we hear about the dreaded disease of leprosy and how it was to be dealt with. Although the reference is to the physical disease, we can easily see how the leprosy of sin also causes alienation and a breakdown of the human family. Again, our God longs for that unity that leads to peace; our God is a redemptive God drawing us to health and community.

The Western world, through science and technology, has made tremendous strides in a variety of areas. Yet with the progress has come some major problems impacting on "the family of man," causing significant fragmentations and suffering. Here is list of them as drawn up by Fr. Richard McBrien in his work Catholicism: "the proliferation of nuclear weapons, international conflicts, civil wars, economic crises, ecological disasters (e.g., massive oil spills), pollution, contamination of the food supply, of water, and of the atmosphere (e.g., the earth's ozone layer), faulty and dangerous manufactured products, high tech and the violent crime of all varieties, and the crowding out of spiritual values" (85).

All of this impacts the family of humankind and we, as Church, are mandated to bring about as much healing as possible in all of these situations. As a Church in the modern world, our task is to participate in Jesus' redemptive, healing, unifying work.

"The Family of Man" is a constant reminder that we all belong to the same human family. We are all brothers and sisters under a single God. All of us know something about birth and death, hope and anxiety, success and failure. All of us must care for one another and hold constantly in mind: "Whatever we do to the least of our brothers or sisters we do to the Lord."

(Bp. Morneau is the auxiliary bishop of the Green Bay Diocese and pastor of Resurrection Parish in Allouez.)