Homily by Father Emmanuel Schwab, rector of the Sanctuary

1st reading: Levites 13, 1-2.45-46

Psalm: 31 (32), 1-2, 5ab, 5c.11

2rd reading: 1 Corinthians 10, 31 – 11, 1

Gospel: Mark 1, 40-45

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The liturgical year is not divided into small pieces, it is a continuity. And if the whole of Lent and the Easter Season which enshrine the solemn celebration of the death and resurrection of Jesus move within the space of a month, depending on the year, this period is part of the within a full year. This Sunday's readings undoubtedly give us some indications for Lent which will begin on Wednesday and which will prepare us to experience the beautiful Easter Season.

Leprosy is a disease that today we know how to treat, a very contagious disease at the time of Jesus: there is no other way than to keep lepers away from villages and towns to avoid contagion. . And in Scripture, leprosy is treated as a particular disease: we always speak of purification of the leper.

We can – it is not an obligation – but we can evoke, through this leprosy which gnaws the flesh, the question of sin which gnaws the heart; and see in the healing of the leper something which is told to us of the purification of our hearts, this purification which the Lord wants to achieve in us to deliver us from the power of sin and deliver us from the death which is its consequence. This man is purified graciously by the will of Jesus. The will of Jesus translates the will of the Father which is first, which is first in our existence. If I came into the world one day in time — I mean the day I was conceived in the womb of the woman who carried me — it is because God willed it. I am the fruit of an express will of God: God wanted me to exist. That we think it is incomprehensible is not a problem... The mistake would be to question the fact that, whatever the circumstances of my conception, God wanted me to exist.

And therefore the will of God is truly first in my life, it is the source of my existence. It is up to me to consent to it being also primary in my way of living my life, that is to say, to my life becoming a response to the will of God and the implementation of the will of God. Jesus makes us ask this in the Our Father, putting on our lips this prayer: Father, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.

This will of God is also expressed in salvation, as the apostle Paul said to Timothy: “God wants all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth” (1 Tim 2,4). God wants to save me, and he gave the only Son so that I could be saved.

Of course, when I speak in the first person singular, I understand at the same time that every human person on earth can say this same statement. When I say that “God wants I be saved”, I say at the same time that “God wants all men be saved.” But if I only say, “God wants all men to be saved,” I risk not completely believing that “God wants me to be saved.” God does not want me to remain in my sins and it only takes a moment for me, having sinned, to repent and throw myself into the arms of Jesus saying to him: “If you want, you can purify me” .

- I want it. Be purified; go show yourself to the priest.

When I become aware of my sins, my sin, sometimes a serious sin, I must immediately turn to the Lord and tell Him my repentance… immediately. Especially if the sin I have committed seems to put me off prayer, this is all the more what I need: to turn to the Lord by telling Him of my repentance, by telling Him of my desire to convert - not just my desire, but my want to — and throwing me into his arms.

— I want it, be purified.

What purifies? Merciful love.

Saint Thérèse obviously makes the link between this purifying love here on earth and the purifying love of purgatory. As you know, purgatory is the antechamber of heaven. Saint John tells us that when we see Christ, we will be like him, because we will see him as he is (1 Jn 3,2:XNUMX). I don't know about you, but for me, if I were to die now, it seems to me that there is still a little work to do for me to be like Christ... But I have a deep desire to let myself grasp through Christ, and this love of Christ will still have to purify me before I can enter into full glory. Purgatory is this ultimate purification by the fire of God's merciful love. But we can welcome this fire of merciful love here.

In manuscript A (84), Thérèse returns to the offering she made of her life to merciful love. She wrote to Mother Agnès, her sister who is prioress, and she said to her: My dear Mother, you who allowed me to offer myself thus to the Good God, you know the rivers or rather the oceans of graces which have come to flood my soul... Ah! since that happy day, it seems to me that Love penetrates me and surrounds me, it seems to me that at every moment this Merciful Love renews me, purifies my soul and leaves no trace of sin, so I cannot fear purgatory... I know that by myself I would not even deserve to enter this place of expiation, since only holy souls can have access to it, but I know that the Fire of Love is more sanctifying than that of purgatory, I know that Jesus cannot desire useless suffering for us and that He would not inspire in me the desires that I feel, if He did not want to fulfill them...

Oh ! How sweet is the path of Love!… How I want to apply myself to always doing, with the greatest abandon, the will of the Good Lord!…

I would like to invite you, brothers and sisters, to enter into Lent as Thérèse describes this sweet way of love, and may this Lent be for us an exposure to the merciful love of God. Next Sunday, in the prayer of the Mass, we will ask for “the grace to progress in the knowledge of the mystery of Christ and to respond to it with a life that corresponds to it”.

The great grace of Lent is to rediscover the merciful love of God, the heart of mercy of Jesus.

The grace of Lent is returning to God with all our hearts, accepting not yet in Heaven, still on the journey, still on this “land of exile” like the calls Thérèse, and not to hide the fact that we are on the journey by seeking our contentment in the little things of everyday life.

The penance of Lent is to remove from us what prevents us from deepening within ourselves the desire for Heaven.

Sometimes I say to myself: in fact, God wants to give us a diamond, and for this, he gave us a magnificent box to receive this diamond. And we used this box to store our candy wrappers that we collect. But we must deliver this box... We are the box and the diamond, it is Christ who wants to come and make his home in us with the Father in the Holy Spirit! By thus exposing ourselves to the merciful love of God, by welcoming the renewal of our heart and its purification, we hear at the same time the order of Jesus to go and show ourselves to the priests and therefore to receive the sacrament of penance and reconciliation, as the Church asks us, at least once a year, preferably at Easter.

And then Saint Paul exhorts us, in the second reading that we heard, to learn to do everything for the glory of God: everything you do. And it takes the most basic things: “Eat, drink or anything else, do it for the glory of God and do not be a hindrance to anyone. Thus, I myself, in all circumstances, try to adapt to everyone, without seeking my personal interest, but that of the multitude of men, so that they may be saved. Imitate me, as I also imitate Christ. » A suggestion, brothers and sisters, for this Lent, is to reread this second reading every morning from this Sunday, and every day to try to do everything for the glory of God, every day to seek not to be an obstacle for no one every day seeking to adapt or trying to adapt to everyone without seeking our personal interest, having in the heart the desire that all be saved.

May God give us the grace to reveal to us the unfathomable mystery of Christ Jesus.

Amen