Gospel: Luke 5:12-16
It happened that there was a man full of leprosy in one of the towns where Jesus was;
and when he saw Jesus,
he fell prostrate, pleaded with him, and said,
“Lord, if you wish, you can make me clean.”
Jesus stretched out his hand, touched him, and said,
“I do will it. Be made clean.”
And the leprosy left him immediately.
Then he ordered him not to tell anyone, but
“Go, show yourself to the priest and offer for your cleansing
what Moses prescribed; that will be proof for them.”
The report about him spread all the more,
and great crowds assembled to listen to him
and to be cured of their ailments,
but he would withdraw to deserted places to pray.
The Gospel of the Lord. The Mass intention is for the Intentions of Monsignor D Forde
Reflection:
I imagine how brokenhearted the man in today’s Gospel was when he had leprosy. Isolated from the rest of the community – not for ten days only, but perhaps ten months or years or more – he could have given up completely. And yet, when he saw Jesus, he showed the proper attitude to prayer. First, he humbled himself before Christ: “Lord, if you wish…”. Second, he had confidence in God’s power: “you can make me clean.” Such attitude touched the heart of Jesus that He healed the man. There are times when we pray otherwise. We want God to hear our prayers in our own terms. And if these do not happen, we think that God has not heard our prayers. Worse, we lose heart. Losing heart may cause us to abandon prayer all together. It can also cause us to isolate ourselves from the community. A spiritual leprosy takes place. If we are tempted to lose heart, Jesus invites us to come closer to His Sacred Heart. Like the leper, let us spread the good things He has done for us so that more people would follow Jesus and experience healing.
- What is your attitude to prayer?
- How would you react if your prayer is not answered? Why or why not?
- How did any trial make you a more faithful person?
Lord Jesus, thank You for Your Word today. We present to You our needs and concerns. Lord, if you wish, you can hear our prayer. Amen.
