First Reading: 1 Samuel 4:1-11
The Philistines gathered for an attack on Israel.
Israel went out to engage them in battle and camped at Ebenezer,
while the Philistines camped at Aphek.
The Philistines then drew up in battle formation against Israel.
After a fierce struggle Israel was defeated by the Philistines,
who slew about four thousand men on the battlefield.
When the troops retired to the camp, the elders of Israel said,
“Why has the LORD permitted us to be defeated today
by the Philistines?
Let us fetch the ark of the LORD from Shiloh
that it may go into battle among us
and save us from the grasp of our enemies.”
So the people sent to Shiloh and brought from there
the ark of the LORD of hosts, who is enthroned upon the cherubim.
The two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were with the ark of God.
When the ark of the LORD arrived in the camp,
all Israel shouted so loudly that the earth resounded.
The Philistines, hearing the noise of shouting, asked,
“What can this loud shouting in the camp of the Hebrews mean?”
On learning that the ark of the LORD had come into the camp,
the Philistines were frightened.
They said, “Gods have come to their camp.”
They said also, “Woe to us! This has never happened before. Woe to us!
Who can deliver us from the power of these mighty gods?
These are the gods that struck the Egyptians
with various plagues and with pestilence.
Take courage and be manly, Philistines;
otherwise you will become slaves to the Hebrews,
as they were your slaves.
So fight manfully!”
The Philistines fought and Israel was defeated;
every man fled to his own tent.
It was a disastrous defeat,
in which Israel lost thirty thousand foot soldiers.
The ark of God was captured,
and Eli’s two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, were among the dead.
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 44:10-11, 14-15, 24-25
R. Redeem us, Lord, because of your mercy.
Yet now you have cast us off and put us in disgrace,
and you go not forth with our armies.
You have let us be driven back by our foes;
those who hated us plundered us at will.
R. Redeem us, Lord, because of your mercy.
You made us the reproach of our neighbors,
the mockery and the scorn of those around us.
You made us a byword among the nations,
a laughingstock among the peoples.
R. Redeem us, Lord, because of your mercy.
Why do you hide your face,
forgetting our woe and our oppression?
For our souls are bowed down to the dust,
our bodies are pressed to the earth.
R. Redeem us, Lord, because of your mercy.
Gospel: 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.
I talk. . . a lot. Just ask my husband. He knows precisely how many grey hairs I find on my head on any given day or the amount of peanut butter I globbed onto my banana this morning. It’s a curse, really (probably for him more than me—let’s be real here).
But when something big happens. Oh, when something big happens, just you watch out. I will shout it from the rooftops, or type it out IN ALL CAPS WITH AN EXCESSIVE AMOUNT OF EXCLAMATION MARKS FOR ALL TO SEE!!!!!!!!!! Because when something big happens, I share it. It’s like it’s my duty as a human being or something.
This is precisely why the story about the leper has always resonated with me. I suppose it’s because I see so much of myself in him. Can’t we all, though? I mean, just take a look at Facebook.
But I’m always left stumped by Jesus, because why would He want this beautiful miracle kept secret? Didn’t He want people to know Him as the Messiah? I suppose this is something we’ll never fully know, but I like to imagine.
I imagine that when He stretched out His hand to touch the leper, He did it solely because of His intense love for that man—not for crowds, or notoriety, or fame. I imagine the compassion in His eyes and the care in His heart. I imagine the intimacy of that moment—The Creator recreating His created.
Sometimes I think there are so many intimate moments we miss with God because of our need to immediately share them with others. The quiet sunsets we recycle through Instagram filters, the exhilarating crest of that wave we had to take a selfie in front of—sometimes those moments are meant for you. Only you.
From Him.
With love.
Sometimes moments are meant for you. Only you. From Him. With love.Click to tweet
The next time you feel the urge to Instagram or tweet a moment, stop and take a few minutes with God. Just you and Him.
Brittany Calavitta is an enthusiastic advocate for a good book, strong coffee, and a hopeful heart. She currently resides in Irvine, California with her hipster husband and overweight Chihuahua. You can find out more about her here.
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