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Faith is not a storm cellar to which men and women can flee for refuge from the storms of life. It is, instead, an inner force that gives them the strength to face those storms and their consequences with serenity of spirit.
- Sam J. Ervin, Jr.
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HEB 3:7-14; PS 95:6-7C, 8-9, 10-11; MK 1:40-45
R. If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts.
Come, let us bow down in worship;
let us kneel before the LORD who made us.
For he is our God,
and we are the people he shepherds, the flock he guides.
Oh, that today you would hear his voice:
"Harden not your hearts as at Meribah,
as in the day of Massah in the desert,
Where your fathers tempted me;
they tested me though they had seen my works."
Forty years I was wearied of that generation;
I said: "This people's heart goes astray,
they do not know my ways."
Therefore I swore in my anger:
"They shall never enter my rest."
USCCB Lectionary
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This leper (in today's Gospel) did something quite remarkable. He approached Jesus confidently and humbly, expecting that Jesus could and would heal him. Normally a leper would be stoned or at least warded off if he tried to come near a rabbi. Jesus not only grants the man his request, but he demonstrates the personal love, compassion, and tenderness of God in his physical touch. The medical knowledge of his day would have regarded such contact as grave risk for incurring infection. Jesus met the man's misery with compassion and tender kindness. He communicated the love and mercy of God in a sign that spoke more eloquently than words. He touched the man and made him clean - not only physically but spiritually as well.
How do you approach those who are difficult to love, or who are shunned by others because they are deformed or have some disease? Do you show them kindness and offer them mercy and help as Jesus did? The Lord is always ready to show us his mercy and to free us from whatever makes us unclean, unapproachable, or unloving towards others. Lord Jesus, inflame my heart with your love and make me clean and whole in body, mind, and spirit. May I never doubt your love nor cease to tell others of your great mercy and compassionate care." DailyScripture.net
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Stages of Growth in Christian Prayer, by Philip St. Romain Transition From Active Prayer to Infused Contemplation (part two) The first two of St. John's signs indicate that one is no longer growing through the practice of active prayer forms but that this is not due
to spiritual neglect or lack of discipline. The third sign, however, indicates the actual beginnings of contemplation, probably as the prayer of quiet. Saint John encourages one in this situation to diminish the amount of time spent in active prayer and to enjoy the general, loving awareness of God. |
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