11 January, 2024 |Thursday of the First Week in Ordinary Time
Reading: 1 Sm 4:1-11 Gospel Mk 1:40-45 A leper came to him and kneeling down begged him and said, “If you wish, you can make me clean.” Moved with pity, he stretched out his hand, touched the leper, 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. Then 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. Reflections: The man with leprosy approached Jesus with humility and desperation, recognizing Jesus' ability to heal him. This is an invitation for us to approach Jesus with an attitude of humility, acknowledging our need for h