Our Gospel from Mark today concerns Jesus’ healing of a leper. The man who knelt before Jesus and begged for a cure was not simply concerned about his medical condition; he was an Israelite in exile from the temple, and hence, he was a very apt symbol of the general condition of scattered, exiled, wandering Israel. Living in the world without being exposed to its chaotic and unyielding nature is impossible. There are no desert places to spare us its contact. Having assumed human nature in its totality, Jesus experiences this from the outset of his ministry. Since the crowds come to him, he goes to them, endeavoring with patience and without discouragement to make them understand that he is not the earthly Messiah they are dreaming of. By inopportunely proclaiming his title of Son of God, demons are seeking to discredit him and pretend he is their leader. Whenever demons raise their voices, Jesus silences them. The authority manifested by his teaching and his power over disease and evil spirits unceasingly pose the question of Jesus’ identity. The Christians assembled today undoubtedly know that he is the Son of God, the Good News, the Savior, who took upon himself our sicknesses and sins on the cross: this is the mystery of faith celebrated in the Eucharist. But to celebrate it in spirit and truth requires that we constantly allow ourselves to be purified by the word and touch of the Lord from every stain on our faith, that we accept to be driven ever further by Christ. If we want to belong wholeheartedly to the Lord, we shall often have to make choices contradicting those of the world or those of our immediate small world. But when we set out on the way of freedom and, being all things to all, we share in the work of salvation for God’s glory, with our eyes fixed on Christ, our model. We are then acting in one with the Lord.