Misplaced and Found

By: Amy Baker 

By: Chris Topher Aderhold

Howdy friends! 
Chris Topher here, proudly bringing you the weekly Gospel reflection from Camp Gray.  I hope this email finds you all well.  Things at Camp have been going strong, and as spring is quickly approaching, those of us that work in the office are getting geared up for summer camp.  Because I’ve taken up skiing this winter, I’ve been enjoying the cold and snowy weather, however, I’m getting pumped for some warm, sunny days!   
Anyhow, let’s get to the Gospel, which comes to us from the good book of Mark:

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By: Meghan O’Connell

Hello Everyone! This is Meghan writing from an icy Camp Gray. This Sunday’s Gospel comes from Mark:

Mark 1:40-45

A leper came to Jesus and kneeling down begged him and said,
“If you wish, you can make me clean.”
Moved with pity, he stretched out his hand,
touched him, 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.
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.

Back in Jesus’ time lepers were people who were excluded and shunned from the rest of the community.  They were seen as dirty and unclean because leprosy is a contagious disease which causes sores all over your body.  These people were considered disgusting so when Jesus healed the leper it was a great miracle.  Jesus tells the leper not to tell anyone and to just show himself to the Jewish high priests.  But the man was so happy and excited to be healed that he told everyone that Jesus healed him.

One thing that we can learn from this scripture passage is that it’s not always easy to listen to what Jesus tells us to do, like the leper that was healed.  It can be extremely difficult to follow what Jesus is calling us to do because his message may seem unclear to us, we might ignore what he wants us to do, or our hearts may not be truly open to his calling.

I encourage you to take time to pray each day and listen to what Jesus is calling you to do and try to carry out his will every day.

God Bless,
Meghan

We’ve had four straight days of retreats running through yesterday, with the retreat team rising to the occasion and beyond in working with a group of middle school students and a retreat of Confirmation candidates. As they take a much deserved day off, I’m going back and typing up some evaluations of retreats from the past few months, and I came across one Confirmation retreat evaluation that stopped me in my tracks:

What did you learn about yourself and/or being part of a group through this experience?

That I have a lot more to figure out about God - that the million questions I had before aren’t nearly enough, that I think I DO want to be confirmed Catholic. I think I am ready.

Wow. Praise the Lord for the good work He does through Camp Gray!

Greetings from Camp Gray and me, Jenna, on this warm and sunny Saturday morning.  While the warm weather is a joy, it definitely makes cross country skiing, a favorite pastime around here, much more
difficult!  This Sunday’s Gospel comes from Mark…

Mark 1:29-39

On leaving the synagogue
Jesus entered the house of Simon and Andrew with James and John.
Simon’s mother-in-law lay sick with a fever.
They immediately told him about her.
He approached, grasped her hand, and helped her up.
Then the fever left her and she waited on them.

When it was evening, after sunset,
they brought to him all who were ill or possessed by demons.
The whole town was gathered at the door.
He cured many who were sick with various diseases,
and he drove out many demons,
not permitting them to speak because they knew him.

Rising very early before dawn, he left
and went off to a deserted place, where he prayed.
Simon and those who were with him pursued him
and on finding him said, “Everyone is looking for you.”
He told them, “Let us go on to the nearby villages
that I may preach there also.
For this purpose have I come.”
So he went into their synagogues,
preaching and driving out demons throughout the whole of Galilee.

When the evangelist Mark was writing to inform his readers about Jesus, he highlighted many of Jesus’ phenomenal aspects.  This reading is a great example of the wonders and miracles that Jesus performed. (more…)