6th Sunday of Ordinary Time, Year B
Today’s gospel reading from the gospel of Saint Mark 1:40-45 while emphasizing the divine power of Christ to heal shows us the mercy and compassion of Christ. Today’s gospel reading shows us that God’s mercy and compassion endures and is always available to us. Often we complain that God does not hear or answer our prayers. We also complain when we experience trials, hardships or difficulties in our lives. But how often do we appreciate God’s mercy and compassion to us in the blessings, graces and mercies we receive daily from Him? Do we even appreciate the wonderful gifts God has bestowed and continues to bestow upon us like the gift of life, family, the Catholic Church, the Sacraments, good health, the food we eat, shelter, peace, safety and not only what we have or possess but also who we are as His sons and daughters called to be His disciples in the world. How often do we show gratitude to Him for all these that He has given us and continues to give us? Our gospel reading reminds us of the need to be grateful to God for all does in our lives, both the known and unknown.
As we are reminded of the need to show gratitude to God for His mercy and compassion to us, today’s gospel reading also reminds us to come closer to Him by deepening our faith, hope and trust in Him through spiritual hard-work and perseverance.
The leper in our gospel reading today firmly believed in Jesus’s divine power, mercy and compassion that he approached Jesus for healing. The leper shows us how to appreciate and show gratitude to God for his mercy and compassion to us with his words, “if you will, you can make me clean.” With those words, the leper teaches us that the best approach in showing gratitude to God is by humbling ourselves before Him. He (the leper) approached Jesus with humility and asked Him to heal him. How humble are we in our approach to God? How humble are we when we minister or serve God in the Church? Do we ask God to let His will be done in our lives or do we impose our will on Him when we pray and ask Him for help? As the action of the leper’s emphasizes Faith, Hope and Trust in God, it points out the need to be hardworking and persevering in our spiritual lives. The leper surely believed in Christ and has faith, hope and trust in Him that was why he approached Him with such great humility and said “if you will, you can make me clean.” He was also proactive about wanting to be healed and not lazy that he went to Jesus and was healed. How proactive are we in our spiritual lives when we talk about changing our lives for good and for God? How persevering are we in our journey to conversion and repentance? How hard are we working or how hardly are we working in our spiritual lives?
My dear brothers and sisters in Christ, no matter what you face or experience in life, always pay attention to the healing mercy and compassion of God for us. Hence, just like the leper in today’s gospel reading, let us humbly approach God with firmness of faith, hope and trust in Him.
