January 11, Thursday of the First Week in Ordinary Time
Daily readings: 1 Samuel 4:1–11, Mark 1:40–45
Israel loses the war utterly twice in today’s reading, besides losing four thousand and thirty thousand foot soldiers, respectively. Someone desecrates the Ark of the Covenant. Hophni and Phinehas also die. The elders of Israel interpreted the defeat of Israel as a judgment from the Lord. In the history of Israel, when Israel did not live according to the Word of the Lord, He brought judgment upon them through a foreign army.
The people of Israel considered the Ark of the Covenant a magical wand. It was indeed a tangible sign of their commitment to the covenant. But then Hophni and Phinehas who carried the Ark, were sinners. Although they thought that God would defeat the Philistines, the Israelites lost the war very badly. Those who violated the covenant became victims of God’s wrath. For the first time in the history of Israel, the Ark of the Covenant, Israel’s most sacred material possession, went into the hands of the pagans. Two of the most powerful and active priests of Israel died at the hands of infidels. They paid the price for their sins.
Leprosy is a virulent disease. God is the only healer. It was absolutely impossible for human beings to heal; therefore, they managed to ostracize the patients from their families and society. The leper in today’s reading takes courage to ask Jesus, “If you choose, you can make me clean”.
Jesus takes note of his faith. He breaks the rules by touching and healing him with compassion. Some of us rightly ask a question regarding Jesus’ command to keep secret the identity of the healer. It is a Messianic secret. Jesus must reveal it only at the appointed time. The popularity of Jesus should not become a hurdle for his mission.
St. Theodosius of Cappadocia was a monk, abbot and founder and organizer of the cenobitic way of monastic life in the Judean desert. Cenobitic monasticism stresses community life.
Call to Action for Catholic Living: My approach to the social outcasts of society will define the kind of person that I am. How do I want to be?
Radio Veritas Asia (RVA), a media platform of the Catholic Church, aims to share Christ. RVA started in 1969 as a continental Catholic radio station to serve Asian countries in their respective local language, thus earning the tag “the Voice of Asian Christianity.” Responding to the emerging context, RVA embraced media platforms to connect with the global Asian audience via its 21 language websites and various social media platforms.
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