Thursday of the First Week in Ordinary Time Gospel: Mark 2:1-12 The Authority of Jesus to Forgive Sins
We often encounter people of great learning in places of worship and adoration of God. When we meet them, we frequently feel inadequate due to our lack of knowledge, to the point that we dare not converse with them about matters of faith, seeking their counsel or engaging in dialogue. Gradually, on the path of faith and holiness, we come to a standstill. We remain living under the power of sin and death, causing our souls to gradually become parched from lacking all the graces bestowed by God.
Saint Mark tells us that four men carried a paralytic to the house where Jesus was. They removed the roof and lowered the paralytic, along with his mat, directly before Jesus, imploring Him for healing. On the path to holiness, there are also countless people who help us. It is precisely through them that God draws us and brings us to Jesus. The merciful Word of God, on account of the faith of those who lead us to Him, forgives our sins and heals the sickness of our souls, restoring us to freedom.
Dearly beloved in the Lord! In life, we should not be like the Pharisees, the doctors of the law, and the scribes, who pride themselves on their great learning and live in self-centered thoughts and intentions. Though they understood the will of God, they were unwilling to change their ingrained ways of thinking and thus had no share in the Kingdom of God. Instead, we must be like the paralytic healed by Jesus. After his sins were forgiven, he immediately turned away from all occasions of sin and, by his own actions, proclaimed the Gospel of the Kingdom to all creation. He sang praises to the Lord for the great wonders He had done for him and gave thanks for His infinite mercy. He did this so that the world, seeing the change in his life and hearing all that God proclaims through his mouth, might reshape its understanding of him. Thus, others would join with him to receive the one baptism in Christ, the same Holy Spirit, the one broken Bread, and the one chalice of blessing. Together, they would be united in the Body and Blood of Christ, becoming heirs of God. They would journey together to their heavenly homeland to partake in the wedding feast of the Kingdom, joining with all of creation freed from sin and death to sing praises to the Lord with one voice, forever and ever.
Thursday of the First Week in Ordinary Time Gospel: Mark 1:40-45 The Leper
In the Gospel he wrote, St. Mark narrates many instances of Jesus cleansing lepers. Leprosy, like leprosy today, is highly contagious. For this reason, in Leviticus, the Lord instructed Moses: “Whoever has a leprous disease shall wear torn clothes and let the hair of his head be disheveled; and he shall cover his upper lip and cry out, ‘Unclean, unclean!’ He shall remain unclean as long as he has the disease; he is unclean. He shall live alone; his dwelling shall be outside the camp”(cf. Lev 13:45-46). From this, we see that for the Jews of Jesus’ time, one afflicted with leprosy had to be separated from family and social ties, thus being isolated by the entire community.
When we sin against God, our souls are afflicted with a leprosy of the spirit. Sin and leprosy alike make us feel alienated—a sense of estrangement that keeps us trapped under the dominion of sin and death. Therefore, today, let us learn from that courageous man who approached Jesus seeking cleansing, and actively turn to God, asking for His healing. The merciful God will surely touch our wounds with His own hand, heal the diseases of our souls and bodies, and restore us to freedom.
Having received Christ’s help, and having drawn from the fullness of grace in Christ all the graces we urgently and with faith seek from Him, we should not continue to be self-centered. Instead, we must center ourselves on the Word of God, imitating the healed leper in today’s Gospel: boldly proclaiming God’s mercy and love to the world, and bearing witness to Christ through our actions.
Savior Jesus, have mercy on us and cleanse us. Amen.
Wednesday of the First Week in Ordinary Time Gospel: Mark 1:29-39 The Healing Power of Jesus
We often experience various illnesses in life, enduring the afflictions they bring to both our souls and bodies. Sometimes, when we participate in Sunday Mass, we may overlook our brothers and sisters who are unable to join us due to illness—they are like Simon’s mother-in-law, lying in bed with a severe fever, in urgent need of our help, our prayers, and our bringing Jesus to them.
Today, before we bring others to Jesus, let us first examine ourselves: are we also burdened by the afflictions of illness and sin upon our souls and bodies? For sin separates us from God, robs us of the image of God’s children, and makes us resemble the devil and his messengers. Therefore, it is crucial that we first accept our imperfect selves and seek Jesus’ healing. This helps us recognize our true selves and guide those in need onto the straight path leading to God, who restores wholeness to each person’s body, mind, and spirit.
Today, when Jesus entered Simon and Andrew’s house with James and John, those who were with him told him about Simon’s mother-in-law, who was suffering from a severe fever, and begged him to heal her. They have set an example for us. Let us imitate their virtue, actively interceding for God’s healing and consolation for all those living in various situations of unfreedom.
Jesus, Gentle and Humble of Heart, have mercy on us. Amen.
全属于祢 
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