Gospel: Mark 1: 35-40
Once again we see Jesus heal someone, this time a leper, and proceed to tell them to say nothing to anyone about it. Now, of course like all the others the man goes about telling everyone, but we might well wonder what it would actually look like if people obeyed Jesus and they did tell no one. How might Christianity be different without all the hype and hyperbole?
Fortunately, we have one lone example in the Gospels who actually did as Jesus commanded - Peter's mother-in-law. Recall that she was healed by Jesus in yesterday's Gospel portion, and what was her response to this healing? She merely arose from her bed and went about serving others. She did not utter a single word; she merely went about living a life of service to others in her community.
If we are looking to be authentic disciples in the world, we will not find them in media conglomerates or cottage industries that are all about self-promotion. We will instead find them in more humble environs - in soup kitchens, nursing homes, hospitals, prisons, and other places where they are quietly caring for others. We who ourselves have been healed, liberated, and fed are now to do likewise for others in quiet humility like Peter's mother-in-law.
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