Roman Catholic The Word Among Us Daily Mass Reading & Daily Meditation for Thursday, 15 January 2015

Roman Catholic The Word Among Us Daily Mass Reading & Daily Meditation for Thursday, 15 January 2015
Meditation - Mark 1: Jesus Heals a Man
40 A man with leprosy[a] came to Jesus and knelt down.[b] He begged, “You have the power to make me well, if only you wanted to.”
41 Jesus felt sorry for[c] the man. So he put his hand on him and said, “I want to! Now you are well.” 42 At once the man’s leprosy disappeared, and he was well.
43 After Jesus strictly warned the man, he sent him on his way. 44 He said, “Don’t tell anyone about this. Just go and show the priest that you are well. Then take a gift to the temple as Moses commanded, and everyone will know that you have been healed.”[d]
45 The man talked about it so much and told so many people, that Jesus could no longer go openly into a town. He had to stay away from the towns, but people still came to him from everywhere.[Footnotes:
1.40 leprosy: In biblical times the word “leprosy” was used for many different kinds of skin diseases.
1.40 and knelt down: These words are not in some manuscripts.
1.41 felt sorry for: Some manuscripts have “was angry with.”
1.44 everyone will know that you have been healed: People with leprosy had to be examined by a priest and told that they were well (that is, “clean”) before they could once again live a normal life in the Jewish community. The gift that Moses commanded was the sacrifice of some lambs together with flour mixed with olive oil.]
1st Week in Ordinary Time
I do will it. (Mark 1:41)
Can you keep a secret? Some of us find it easier than others! Someone confides big news to us. There’s a new movie out, and we don’t want anyone to share the ending before we’ve seen it. Many children find it especially hard to refrain from spilling information. But they learn over time how not to share everything and how, if someone trustworthy asks them to keep something confidential, it’s usually for a good reason.
In today’s Gospel reading, Jesus asks someone to keep a secret. A man with leprosy comes to him begging for healing: “If you wish, you can make me clean” (Mark 1:40). If you wish. Maybe he isn’t sure about who Jesus is. Maybe all he knows is that Jesus is a wonderworker. Maybe he thinks Jesus is capricious, like the pagan gods, who were said to perform marvels only when it suited their fancy.
Whatever the case, Jesus, “moved with pity,” heals the man. But he also tells him not to divulge the healing to anyone else. Why? First, because neither the man, nor anyone else at this time, understands who Jesus really is. He doesn’t understand that this healer is the Messiah—or what kind of Messiah he is.
Second, it’s not the right time yet for Jesus to be revealed. And it won’t be for a while. Throughout the Gospel of Mark, we see Jesus trying to stay out of sight, in desert places, so that he can finish his mission on the cross. Only then will people understand that he came to save them from sin and not just to relieve their material sufferings. In fact, the centurion’s confession at the foot of the cross is the first time someone realizes Jesus’ true identity: “Truly this was the Son of God!” (Mark 15:39).
So rejoice! What was once secret is now an open revelation. Jesus, the Son of God, now fully accessible to us, tells us, “Of course I want to heal! Of course I want to console you. What’s more, I want you to be in heaven with me forever!” We don’t have to worry that Jesus won’t hear us. We know the kind of Messiah he is.
“Jesus, truly, you are the Messiah! Thank you for the gift of salvation and for the eternal peace you have won for me.” Amen!
Hebrews 3: A Rest for God’s People
7 It is just as the Holy Spirit says,
“If you hear God’s voice today,
8     don’t be stubborn!
Don’t rebel like those people
who were tested
    in the desert.
9 For forty years your ancestors
tested God
and saw
    the things he did.
10 “Then God got tired of them
    and said,
‘You people never
    show good sense,
and you don’t understand
    what I want you to do.'
11 God became angry
    and told the people,
‘You will never enter
    my place of rest!’”
12 My friends, watch out! Don’t let evil thoughts or doubts make any of you turn from the living God. 13 You must encourage one another each day. And you must keep on while there is still a time that can be called “today.” If you don’t, then sin may fool some of you and make you stubborn. 14 We were sure about Christ when we first became his people. So let’s hold tightly to our faith until the end.
Psalms 95:6 Bow down and worship
    the Lord our Creator!
7 The Lord is our God,
    and we are his people,
    the sheep he takes care of
    in his own pasture.
Listen to God’s voice today!
8 Don’t be stubborn and rebel
    as your ancestors did
    at Meribah and Massah[a]
    out in the desert.
9 For forty years
they tested God
    and saw
    the things he did.
10 Then God got tired of them
    and said,
“You never show good sense,
    and you don’t understand
    what I want you to do.”
11 In his anger, God told them,
    “You people will never enter
    my place of rest.”[Footnotes:
95.8 Meribah and Massah: See the note at 81.7.]
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