Homily Thursday January 14, 2016

Dear Friends, Todays gospel is very much similar to the gospel read last Thursday.
Both speak of the A leaper who ask the lord to be healed from his maladies.
However, if we take a closer look of both of the text, we can see an innocent yet
striking difference between the point of emphasis of both the evangelist. In the
gospel last Thursday, the main actor of the story is the leaper who trough his
humility and total confidence in Jesus has believed that he will be cured and this has
been the cause of his salvation. On the hand, In Todays gospel, the point of
emphasis is the action of Jesus. In the Gospel we see Jesus curing the leaper and
after curing him prohibit him from proclaiming the deed done by Jesus. Permit me to
ask you, why did Jesus forbid the leaper from making Him known, if it was Jesus
mission to introduce himself to the people and in fact he go from village to village
and people to people to do so, then why? As some exegetes would say, one of the
strangest paradoxes of the gospel is how Jesus carry out his mission of introducing
himself to the world when in fact he often forbids from saying those who knew him,
like for example St. Peter. Isnt popularity beneficial to his mission? Dear answer to
this simple enigma is that Jesus wanted that those who believe and proclaim his
name were not because they have seen miracles or have benefited from his
healings but rather, out their profound faith and thirst to encounter God in their
lives. He often avoided people from flocking to him because they have seen great
and amazing things but rather he wishes that people should come to him because
they felt the true necessity of encountering him.
In our present time, this hasnt change at all. Jesus instead of assuming an image of
a great actor or leader or any famous individual, he chose to assume the simple
form bread and wine present in all the tabernacles of the world always waiting for
someone to visit him personally. Here in this Chapel, Christ is present in that
tabernacle waiting for us to talk to him every day. He is present to us in the Holy
Eucharist, waiting to sanctify us every time we receive him properly in the holy
communion. Sad to say, that despite our many studies and theologies, we cant
even give him the proper reverence he deserves. Often times we sleep during
prayer time, we pass him by in the tabernacle every day without even genuflecting.
We receive him in the holy communion even though we are not properly disposed
and so on and so forth.
Dear friends, the Jesus who was born in Bethlehem, who was crucified on the cross
is the same Christ present to us in the Holy Eucharist. He is the same Christ who
healed the leaper and continually cleanses us when we receive him befittingly in the
holy communion. As we continue in this Eucharistic celebration let us try our best to
keep ourselves always properly disposed in the mass and during prayer periods. Let
us be like St. Thomas who despite seeing him only hidden in the lowly form of a
bread adore him profoundly like a king and true God. Let us our Blessed mother for
her help to encourage us to talk to Jesus in the blessed sacrament always. as st.
Josemaria escriva said in his book forja, come closer to the lord every day until for
he will becomes your friend and the guide you can trust.