Daily Readings - Thu Jan 17 2019
Hebrews
7Therefore, as the Holy Spirit says, "Today, if you hear his voice,8do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion, on the day of testing in the wilderness,9where your fathers put me to the test and saw my works10for forty years. Therefore I was provoked with that generation, and said, 'They always go astray in their heart; they have not known my ways.'11As I swore in my wrath, 'They shall not enter my rest.'"12Take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God.13But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called "today," that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.14For we share in Christ, if indeed we hold our original confidence firm to the end.
Mark
40And a leper came to him, imploring him, and kneeling said to him, "If you will, you can make me clean."41Moved with pity, he stretched out his hand and touched him and said to him, "I will; be clean."42And immediately the leprosy left him, and he was made clean.43And Jesus sternly charged him and sent him away at once,44and said to him, "See that you say nothing to anyone, but go, show yourself to the priest and offer for your cleansing what Moses commanded, for a proof to them."45But he went out and began to talk freely about it, and to spread the news, so that Jesus could no longer openly enter a town, but was out in desolate places, and people were coming to him from every quarter.
Sermon
In today's readings, we encounter two powerful narratives that invite us to reflect on faith, compassion, and the consequences of our choices. The first reading from Hebrews warns us against the dangers of hardened hearts and unbelief, drawing on the example of the Israelites in the desert who, despite witnessing God's wonders, turned away from Him. This passage reminds us that faith is not a one-time decision but a continuous commitment to trust in God's plan, even when the journey is difficult. The second reading from Mark presents us with the story of a leper who approaches Jesus with humility and faith. Jesus, moved by compassion, heals the man and instructs him to show himself to the priests as a testimony of God's power. However, the leper, overwhelmed with joy and gratitude, spreads the news of his healing, leading Jesus to withdraw to deserted places to avoid the crowds.
These readings are deeply connected. The Hebrews passage serves as a warning against the kind of unbelief that hardens hearts, while the Gospel shows us the opposite: a heart open to God's mercy and grace. The leper's faith and humility lead to his healing, but it also leads to a greater mission—to share the Good News with others. This tension between personal faith and public witness is something we all experience. Like the leper, we are called to respond to God's grace with gratitude and to share that grace with others, even when it may lead to unexpected challenges.
In our daily lives, these readings challenge us to examine our own hearts. Are we allowing God's voice to penetrate our lives, or are we hardened by sin and doubt? The leper's story reminds us that true faith leads to action—whether it's sharing the Gospel with others or simply living in a way that reflects God's love. At the same time, we are called to humility and trust, knowing that God's plan for us is always greater than our own. Let us ask for the grace to remain open to God's voice, to trust in His mercy, and to bear witness to His love in all that we do.