1st Week, Ordinary Time, Thursday January 16, 2025
Reflection on the WORD
“Jesus’ Compassionate Love”: In today’s Gospel, Jesus cured a man with a skin-disease, even though His Time to reveal Himself as the Messiah, had not yet come. Jesus’ Compassionate Love, moved Him to make the exception. Ponder on, “God’s Compassionate Love for us, is infinite. But, is our compassion for people who are in need, inclusive and deep?”
Mark 1:40-45
A man suffering from a virulent skin-disease came to Jesus and pleaded on his knees saying, ‘If you are willing, you can cleanse me.’ Feeling sorry for him, Jesus stretched out his hand, touched him and said to him, ‘I am willing. Be cleansed.’ And at once the skin-disease left him and he was cleansed.
Jesus immediately sent him away and sternly ordered him, ‘Mind you tell no one anything, but go and show yourself to the priest, and make the offering for your cleansing prescribed by Moses as evidence to them.’
The man went away, but then started freely proclaiming and telling the story everywhere, so that Jesus could no longer go openly into any town, but stayed outside in deserted places. Even so, people from all around kept coming to him.
Today's Pointers on God's Word
As you read the passage what words, phases or meanings caught your attention?
- God’s love for us is all encompassing and unconditional. Jesus is ever willing to heal us of all our physical, emotional, mental and spiritual pains.
- We want to be healed yet we do not trust God enough. We hold ourselves back in fear because we say, Ï don’t really know what is God’s Will for me.”
- Am I humble enough to accept that God’s Wisdom and Compassion is infinitely greater than mine? If so, pray for the grace to entrust your life into God’s hands.