Daily Catholic Mass Readings for January 14, 2021
Psalm 95
1Come, let us sing for joy to the LORD; let us shout aloud to the Rock of our salvation.2Let us come before him with thanksgiving and extol him with music and song.3For the LORD is the great God, the great King above all gods.4In his hand are the depths of the earth, and the mountain peaks belong to him.5The sea is his, for he made it, and his hands formed the dry land.6Come, let us bow down in worship, let us kneel before the LORD our Maker;7for he is our God and we are the people of his pasture, the flock under his care. Today, if you hear his voice,8do not harden your hearts as you did at Meribah, as you did that day at Massah in the desert,9where your fathers tested and tried me, though they had seen what I did.10For forty years I was angry with that generation; I said, "They are a people whose hearts go astray, and they have not known my ways."11So I declared on oath in my anger, "They shall never enter my rest."
Gospel: Mark 1.40-45
40A man with leprosy came to him and begged him on his knees, "If you are willing, you can make me clean."41Filled with compassion, Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man. "I am willing," he said. "Be clean!"42Immediately the leprosy left him and he was cured.43Jesus sent him away at once with a strong warning:44"See that you don't tell this to anyone. But go, show yourself to the priest and offer the sacrifices that Moses commanded for your cleansing, as a testimony to them."45Instead he went out and began to talk freely, spreading the news. As a result, Jesus could no longer enter a town openly but stayed outside in lonely places. Yet the people still came to him from everywhere.
Sermon
The Gospel today tells the story of a leper who approaches Jesus with deep faith and humility. The leper, aware of his condition and the social isolation it brings, kneels before Jesus and begs for healing, saying, "If you are willing, you are able to cleanse me." Moved by compassion, Jesus reaches out and touches the man, declaring, "I am willing. Be cleansed." Immediately, the leprosy leaves him, and he is made whole. Jesus then instructs the man to go to the priests and follow the rituals prescribed by Moses, but the man, overwhelmed with gratitude, spreads the news about Jesus' healing power, forcing Jesus to minister in deserted places to avoid crowds.
This passage is deeply rooted in the cultural and religious context of Jesus' time. Leprosy was not only a physical affliction but also a social and religious one, as those afflicted were often shunned and considered unclean. The leper's boldness in approaching Jesus reflects his desperation and faith, while Jesus' willingness to touch and heal him defies societal norms and demonstrates His divine authority and compassion. The man's subsequent disobedience in spreading the news highlights the tension between human excitement and the need for humility and obedience.
In our daily lives, this story invites us to reflect on our own faith and trust in God. Like the leper, we often feel unworthy or unclean because of our sins or struggles, but Jesus is always willing to heal and restore us. The passage also challenges us to respond to God's grace with humility and obedience, rather than seeking to draw attention to ourselves. Let us ask for the courage to approach Jesus with the leper's faith and the humility to follow His will, trusting that He is always willing to cleanse and renew us.