Father, I have often thought about Your Son Jesus being You made flesh. You, in the flesh, walking around the planet, among us. Just like that! So when You became a human being, You showed up to us in the physical person of Jesus. This has often captivated and challenged my mind. It also tells me that anytime Jesus was challenged, then Your human experience makes You even more relatable and relative to the rest of us. Through the challenges that Jesus faced, it tells me how even Jesus had to make a change in His plans. He may have been Scriptured but He wasn't as scripted as I may have thought.

In the reading below, once again Jesus instructs someone He heals not to tell anyone and to go straight to the chief priest or religious leader at the time and follow the usual protocol, but it just doesn't turn out that way. But then again, He probably knew that would happen. The leper essentially blabs all over town what Jesus did for him and now Jesus can't even go into town to teach, which alters His plans due to the publicity. As it turns out, Jesus essentially becomes the outsider and the leper becomes the insider (with inside information) and the leper gets to return to his community. Basically, the leper and Jesus have traded places. Jesus ends up outside in the wilderness or in deserted places but the leper is welcomed back into society. This may not have been part of Jesus' plan but due to nature of human beings, Jesus rolled with it. But then again, You knew that would happen, right?

This leads me to an increased understanding that You do understand me when my plans change and I have to roll with it and shift gears. At no time should I discontinue my mission or purpose just because the plans changed. This change in plans never stopped Jesus from doing His thing. He continued on because those change in plans still led Him to His fulfillment. Certainly, it may have been easier if He just slipped into town, preached Your Word and then moved on but as we all know, when there is Good News, it generates publicity and draws a crowd. Word travels fast.

Father, thank You for this awesome awareness that a change in plans does not mean the end. It just means there is a change in the plan. As it turned out, the wilderness and deserted places accommodated more people for Jesus to preach Your Word than there would have been in the confines of a small town. It's funny how things always work out for the best, even when it doesn't seem that way at the time. It worked out for Jesus and I know You will guide me so that when there is a change in plans it will work out for me too. Thank You Father, thank You so much for this relateable story to Jesus. Now when there is a change in plans I will simply trust You and roll with it.

A reading from the Holy Gospel according to Mark

Mark 1:40-45

40 A leper came to Him (and kneeling down) begged Him and said, "If You wish, You can make me clean."

41 Moved with pity, He stretched out His hand, touched him, and said to him, "I do will it. Be made clean."

42 The leprosy left him immediately, and he was made clean.

43 Then, warning him sternly, He dismissed him at once.

44 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."

45 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.

The Gospel of the Lord
Praise to You Lord Jesus Christ

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