Mark 1:40-45 Cleansing of the Leper

In today’s Gospel reading we hear of a leper being healed by Jesus.  There were so many rabbis at that time in Israel.  It they couldn’t cure this man, why could Jesus, he was just another rabbi, right?  Even though he has begun his ministry at Cana, he is still unknown to his disciples.  This man who has leprosy approaches Jesus and says, “If you wish, you can make me clean.”  These words are filled with faith.  They are like the faith filled words that we use during mass, “Lord, I am not worthy that you should come under my roof, say the word and I shall be healed.” 

Jesus heals the leper.  He frees him from the hell in which he has been living.  He frees him from both the physical marks of leprosy that plague his body, but he also heals the man’s spirit.  We can imagine this man filled with abundant joy and it is contagious as he goes to the priests.  He is a witness to the power of Christ.  God himself has touched him, forgiven him, and restored life to him by raising him from the death of sin.  Jesus in a sense is teaching us a lesson about heaven and hell, about mercy, about how to be happy.  We are to come to the Lord and in him with the light of faith we will find happiness.  How did Jesus do this?

St. Hilary of Poitiers reminds us, “For He (Jesus) took upon Him the flesh in which we have sinned that by wearing our flesh He might forgive sins; a flesh which He shares with us by wearing it, not by sinning in it. He blotted out through death the sentence of death, that by a new creation of our race in Himself He might sweep away the penalty appointed by the former Law. He let them nail Him to the cross that He might nail to the curse of the cross and abolish all the curses to which the world is condemned.”

Luke 7:18b-23

In today's Gospel we hear that disciples of John the Baptist have been sent to inquire of Jesus if he "is the one that is to come."  It is a curious thing.  People have been mistaking John as the Messiah, but he knew that he was not.  John freely admitted that to his own disciples that he was not the Messiah and sent them to seek the one greater than he.  John, like many others, was awaiting the Messiah.  Jesus never answered the question, but told them to report what they saw: healing of body, mind, and spirit; cleansing of lepers; and giving new life to the dead. "The poor have had the Good News proclaimed to them.  And blessed is the one who takes no offense at me." 

In Jesus' words there is almost a reply to (Isiah 45:21b-25) when the Lord spoke, " Turn to me and be safe, all you ends of the earth, for I am God; there is no other..to me every knee shall bend; every tongue shall swear saying, "Only in the Lord are just deeds and power.  Before him in shame shall come all who vent their anger toward him..."

How amazing to behold these things! to be able to go back to John and tell him what they have seen and that Jesus completes the words of Isiah.  It is incredible.  It is interesting to think too that Jesus doesn't have to reply.  He simply is.  It reminds us of the Old Testament accounts of Moses interacting with God, and being told simply "I am who am."

Luke 17:11-19

Happy Thanksgiving! 

The Gospel of Luke today presents us of a story of thanksgiving.  There were ten lepers and one, the Samaritan, returns to Jesus to thank him for healing him after showing the Temple priests are required by Jesus.  The man's faith had saved him.

What a curious thing though.  Where were the others?  They were Jewish like Jesus.  Yet, they did not return to acknowledge the great thing that he had done for them, namely restoring their lives to them. Lepers were considered the walking dead, no one wanted to have anything to do with them. We are healed in big and small ways each day and we look for the gift of everlasting life which God alone can grant us.  Let us be thankful to Him today.