Mark 1:40-45
A leper came to him and kneeling down begged him and said, "If you wish, you can make me clean." Moved with pity, he stretched out his hand, touched the leper, and said to him, "I do will it. Be made clean." The leprosy left him immediately, and he was made clean. Then, warning him sternly, he dismissed him at once. Then he said to him, "See that you tell no one anything, but go, show yourself to the priest and offer for your cleansing what Moses prescribed; that will be proof for them." The man went away and began to publicize the whole matter. He spread the report abroad so that it was impossible for Jesus to enter a town openly. He remained outside in deserted places, and people kept coming to him from everywhere.
Dawg's thought:
Today's prayer intention is for our troops overseas, for comfort for them and for their safe return.
"He stretched out His hand..."
When a baby is crying, a mother stretches out her hand to comfort her child.
During communion, a priest, standing "in the person of Christ" stretches out his arm to administer communion.
When the time for Jesus came to reconcile humanity, He stretched out His arms on the cross.
The act of love goes beyond ourselves. We we hear the words of Our Lord to love, we must go beyond ourselves and be present to all we are called to love. We must "stretch" ourselves beyond our means and beyond our comfort levels in order to love... To love as Christ loves. Take care and God Bless.
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