Thoughts for the Day

A leper came to him begging him, and kneeling he said to him, ‘If you choose, you can make me clean.’ Moved with pity, Jesus stretched out his hand and touched him, and said to him, ‘I do choose. Be made clean!’ Immediately the leprosy left him, and he was made clean. After sternly warning him he sent him away at once, saying to him, ‘See that you say nothing to anyone; but go, show yourself to the priest, and offer for your cleansing what Moses commanded, as a testimony to them.’ But he went out and began to proclaim it freely, and to spread the word, so that Jesus could no longer go into a town openly, but stayed out in the country; and people came to him from every quarter.

(Lectionary, New Revised Standard Version)

Thoughts

Today our Doctors can cure hundreds of different diseases, and our scientists produce keep producing new medicines. A new antibiotic has also just been announced, zosurabalpin, which appears to kill the drug resistant Acinetobacter baumannii (Crab) bacterium. But there are still many illnesses for which we have no cure, among them motor-neurone and dementia. The first takes away the use of the body and the second the use of the mind. My husband Adrian had Vascular Dementia, though we were lucky for he was never violent as many are, and retained his gentleness throughout. I recorded a lot of our joint journey in a book: 'A Litany of Dementia: or life with Adrian', and it wasn't for the faint-hearted.

However, none of this can compare with today's incident in Mark's Gospel. Years later in the Middle Ages in England a sufferer of leprosy would be taken into church and the Burial Service would be said over him! In other words he was dead to society from now on. Although there are three kinds of leprosies all basically eat away at the body starting with ulcers. Leprosy was also associated with sin - the sick person must be a sinner to suffer such a terrible disease! But Jesus 'stretches out his hand and touches him'. His compassion, and his power, is absolute.

Sometimes today our sickness cannot be healed by doctors; and sometimes God chooses not to respond to our prayers in the way we would wish. Instead of berating God, however, we should look for a reason. Is there something to be learnt by us or by others from this? Or is it just that He is calling us home? For God always answers prayer, even if it's to say "I have different plans for you!"

Lord Jesus Christ,
You welcomed the leper
who knelt before You in submission.
Others would have shunned him,
but You leaned forward and touched him
when he placed all his faith in You,
and he was subsequently healed.
May we offer our prayers in such confidence,
but asking "Your will be done"
when we come to You.
Amen.