The Cleansing of a Leper[February 12, 2012]

The Sunday Gospel [February 12, 2012]

Mark 1:40-45

40A leper came to him [and kneeling down] begged him and said, “If you wish, you can make me clean.” 41Moved with pity, he stretched out his hand, touched him, and said to him, “I do will it. Be made clean.” 42The leprosy left him immediately, and he was made clean. 43Then, warning him sternly, he dismissed him at once. 44Then he said to him, “See that you tell no one anything, but go, show yourself to the priest and offer for your cleansing what Moses prescribed; that will be proof for them.” 45The 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. He remained outside in deserted places, and people kept coming to him from everywhere.

Reflection

A leper came to Jesus [and kneeling down] begged him and said, “If you wish, you can make me clean.” ~ v. 40

Today’s gospel is a lesson in optimism. Too often, we have a distorted view of God. Some people believe that God is the author of their misery or that God wants them to suffer and languish in poverty, sickness, and bad fate. They suspect that God oppresses them or that he does not care.

When we come to the Lord, we need to start with a positive mind set like the leper. We must declare that our God is a God of all good things. And his desire is only our good. The request of the leper is instructive: “If you wish, you can make me clean.” In his heart the leper knew that it was Jesus’ wish to heal and restore him. And he claimed that miracle in his heart before Jesus even healed him.

God wants only the best for you and me. God desires only that which is constructive and uplifting for our lives. But how do we explain the sickness, the pain, and the sufferings of this life? Where do all these come from? Certainly, not from the hands of the Lord. The original plan of God was for the good of his creation. The plan and the promise still hold. It has not changed.

If we analyze the evils around us, we will realize that most of them come from selfishness and neglect. God allows these things to happen because he respects human freedom. In some cases, bad things happen so that we can learn from our mistakes. Negative experiences can also make us return to the Lord and his plans.

Today the Lord wants to reassure us of his love and concern for us. When we pray, when we act, let us not start with doubts. Rather, let us begin with a strong belief in the promise of our Lord and his goodness. Miracles of healing and restoration will take place when we begin to see God as one who loves us sincerely.

Credits: Fr. Ramil R. Marcos, MA, STL; Proclaim! Reflections on the Sunday Gospels, excerpts, slightly adapted.

Source: The Reflection is from Bro. Abel Navarro (you can visit his blog at http://myblogabelnavarroabel.blogspot.com/).