Shhh... don't tell anyone
I said it once and I will say it again, if you want to get the word around, always begin with “do not tell anyone…” We see this in today’s Gospel. After Jesus heals the person with leprosy, Jesus says, “See that you tell no one anything.” But the person cured goes around telling what Jesus did. We read that the word got around fast, and then it was impossible for Jesus to enter a town openly. My guess is it would be very hard not to say anything after being miraculously cured of a horrible disease like leprosy. Plus, if you had leprosy, you were an outcast and you were required to keep distance from others for fear of contagion. So by being healed, the person could now go near others and converse with them. I imagine the person missed being around others, and the person cured had something way better to talk about other than the weather. You figured being an outcast, they were out of the loop on all the juicy scuttlebutt, so what else could the person talk about? Plus, maybe the person that was healed of leprosy was a notorious blabbermouth and neglected to ask Jesus to strengthen their loose lips after Jesus told them not to say anything. With that, I was thinking that sometimes we can forget our flaws that could use Jesus’ healing touch. As we give thanks for God’s healing love, we are all in constant need of His help. May the Holy Spirit gently lead us to see all we need to bring to Jesus’ healing love! God bless and stay safe!
In Christ,
Fr. Steve Breck
Pastor, St. Mary Magdalene
