Jesus and the leper. An exciting meeting!
While carefully reading today's pericope, we discover Jesus in the depths of his humanity, full of emotions and experiencing the mission that he received from the Father. In carrying out this mission, Jesus encountered specific religious and political conditions, the specific situation of people, their way of thinking, beliefs, their expectations and needs. How much effort he had to spend in order to prepare disciples and the people, by means of prudent pedagogical formation, to properly understand his messianic mission. His mission cannot be reduced to meeting the needs of the sick or the poor or otherwise suffering, because it would ultimately be reduced to the narrow dimension of human existence, to mortality.
Meanwhile, his mission is about the salvation of the whole person, about a new human nature, about a new man destined for eternal life, a new dimension of a personal relationship with God. Signs, miracles, exorcisms are given to open man to God's presence, God's love, God's intervention, the purpose of which is to introduce man into the reality of God's kingdom, which is not about external health, because it does not have to be a sign of God's reign, but inner health, which is always a sign of God's presence in the heart, and therefore in the whole life of a person subject to him.
“But I say to you, everyone who looks at a woman with lust has already committed adultery with her in his heart. If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one of your members than to have your whole body thrown into Gehenna. And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one of your members than to have your whole body go into Gehenna.” (cf. Mt 5:28-30)
In pastoral or evangelizing practice, we often discover how easily the essence of the Christian mission is narrowed down to charity activity. A similar problem was experienced by the apostles who appointed deacons to take up charity work that they can pray and proclaim the word of God (cf. Acts 6: 1-7). How difficult it is to preach the kerygma to people - a word that calls people to faith, gives them a new life. How few are able to hear the word, and how many expect only relief from suffering in one dimension or another. How many have experienced some grace of physical or spiritual healing, and when further experiences or trials came, they staggered in faith.
Getting to know Jesus the Messiah, the Crucified - as St. Paul said - guarantees the way to the power of life (for some it is a scandal, for others it is foolishness, and for us it is God's power and wisdom).
Looking at Jesus, everyone who has been called to extend his mission in the modern world should learn to fully engage also emotionally in God's work. Jesus does not "let go" emotions, although they are so visible. The emotions support Him to serve man, to open up to him, to cross borders, to follow man to the end, ignoring himself. One must learn prudence and wise thinking from the Lord in order to have a mind free from the "spirit of religion", which leads to closing oneself in a soulless law, to live the "spirit of faith", which is the spirit of power, love and wise thinking (2 Tim 1, 7).
Until Tomorrow
fr. george