In the presence of a community that has become known for its compassionate care for the lepers and the desperately poor people of Calcutta, Bishop Daniel R. Jenky, CSC, preached about a leper who had enough faith to kneel at Jesus’ feet and seek the healing and hope he needed.

“Let us consciously, at this Mass, imitate the leper,” he told the medical professionals who had gathered at St. Mary’s Cathedral for the annual Diocesan White Mass last Sunday. “Let us kneel down . . . and surrender our burdens.”

Among those who heard his words were the Missionaries of Charity, who were founded by Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta and now serve Peoria’s poor through a soup kitchen based at St. Mary’s Cathedral. Joining them were religious communities who care for the sick, including the Sisters of the Third Order of St. Francis, who established and administer health care facilities in the Dioceses of Peoria and Rockford, and the Franciscan Sisters of John the Baptist.

Named for the traditional white coats and uniforms worn by medical personnel, the White Mass is celebrated on the Sunday closest to Feb. 11, the World Day of the Sick and the feast day of Our Lady of Lourdes. In addition to the physicians and nurses, the Mass honors hospital personnel, pharmacists, mental health specialists, hospice workers, medical students and pastoral care givers.

“Our Savior, Jesus Christ, often called himself a physician, someone who came not for those who are healthy, but for those who are weak and in need of his healing,” Bishop Jenky said in his greeting at the beginning of Mass. “That of course includes every single one of us gathered in this cathedral.”

The need was especially great for those who were ill in ancient times, he said, because it was thought that their illness was a direct result of sin. Ritually unclean, lepers were separated not only from friends and family but the community of faith.

“The good news for us today is that Jesus came as the forgiver of sins and the healer of all illness,” Bishop Jenky said. “In Jesus, all the grace of God the Father breaks into our wounded world.”

Jesus taught that human sickness is not the result of sin, but of that broken world, the bishop told his listeners.

The leper isn’t the only one who was touched by Jesus, he reminded them, noting that the Lord continues to be present to his people in the sacraments and in Scripture, which is the living Word of God.

What has been received must be given, Bishop Jenky explained.

“When we leave here . . . we should be willing to reach out to others, touch their lives and be more attentive to their needs,” he said.