TRUTH
Opening Prayer
I believe, my God, that I am in your presence,
that you are looking at me and listening to my prayers.
You are so great and so holy; I adore you.
You have given me all; I thank you.
You have been so offended by me; I ask your pardon with all my heart.
You are so merciful; I ask of you all the graces which you know are beneficial to me.
Scriptural reading
Gospel reading: Mk 1-40-45
A leper came to Jesus and kneeling down begged him and said,
“If you wish, you can make me clean.”
Moved with pity, he stretched out his hand,
touched him, and said to him,
“I do will it. Be made clean.”
The leprosy left him immediately, and he was made clean.
Then, warning him sternly, he dismissed him at once.
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.”
The 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
Mark ends his first programmatic chapter with the healing of a leper. Anyone struck by leprosy is considered like the living dead (Num. 12,12). His healing was compared to the resurrection of a dead person. Let us note the distressing situation of a leper: he had to endure a triple marginalization: physical, social, and religious. That's as far as Jesus' action goes. He cures these three marginalizations.
Physical marginalization. In the midst of his tremendous physical pain, he was pushed aside and when people passed by, he had to shout: Impure! (1st reading). Food was given to him from a distance without anyone coming close to clean his wounds. Little by little, the same disease was eating away at his skin and flesh. His life was not life; it was a continuous death.
Social margination. Until the priest gave him the certificate that he was cured, he was completely prohibited from incorporating into society. The leper cannot have a relationship with anyone. If what characterizes man is relationship, communication, then social isolation makes the disease more cruel.
Religious marginalization. This was still the deepest, the most felt. As it was believed that illness was a consequence of sin, the sick person also believed himself to be far from God. He could not even extend to God his hands burned by illness. He couldn't even shout out to God from the depths of his heart.
What does Jesus do? And what can we do for the sick?
Jesus cures the three marginalizations.
He heals the physical illness of the leper because Jesus, in his mercy, cannot let people suffer. Pain dehumanizes us and the Lord wants us to remedy it through medicine and, when necessary, palliative care.
He orders him to go to the priest so that he can reincorporate into society, and lead a life like that of others. It is true that we cannot remove diseases from the body. That's what doctors are for. But we can remove the disease of “loneliness”. In our Residences there are many elderly people who have their physical needs covered: they do not lack food, heating, or medicine. But they complain about “loneliness.” Many feel abandoned by their friends and family. In the cruel COVID-19 pandemic, the worst was not even death but death alone.
And, above all, Jesus frees him from religious marginalization. That of believing that the illness was the punishment for some sin that has been committed. Here Jesus makes a display of publicity: he feels pity, he extends his hand, he touches him. Jesus not only heals him with words, with his eyes, with his compassionate heart, but also with "touch", something that was prohibited by the Law. He could have cured him like the Centurion's servant: I am not worthy of you coming to my house...say a word and my servant will be cured. And Jesus healed him from a distance. Here he wanted to touch the leper. When he felt touched by Jesus, he perceived the immense tenderness and closeness of God, which is what he needed the most. God is like a mother. He loves all his children, but he focuses more on the weak, the sick, the one who needs him the most. That's how God is. We too can cure people of the temptation to believe themselves far from God. God is always close, but much more so for those who suffer. A kiss, a hug, a caress to our suffering brother can do him a lot of good. Only through our affection can he understand that God continues to love him.
WAY
After listening to the Word of God and reflecting upon Jesus Truth, we now seek the Way in which we can encounter him. Thus, we ask ourselves the following questions:
Do I feel in my own flesh the suffering of my brothers and sisters?
Am I disposed to accompany the lonely? Do I give it my all or just my “extra time”?
Have I banished forever the idea of considering suffering as a punishment from God?
LIFE
We now close our Lectio with a prayer, drawing us to communicate with him who is our Life:
Jesus Master, sanctify my mind and increase my faith.
Jesus, teaching in the Church, draw everyone to your school.
Jesus Master, deliver me from error, from vain thoughts, and from eternal darkness.
Jesus, Way between the Father and us, I offer you all and await all from you.
Jesus, Way of sanctity, make me your faithful imitator.
Jesus Way, render me perfect as the Father who is in heaven.
Jesus Life, live in me, so that I may live in you.
Jesus Life, do not permit me to separate myself from you.
Jesus Life, grant that I may live eternally in the joy of your love.
Jesus Truth, may I be light for the world.
Jesus Way, may I be example and model for souls.
Jesus Life, may my presence bring grace and consolation everywhere. Amen.
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