Daily Reflection – 1/10/2020
Sacred Scripture
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.( Luke 5:12-16)
Reflection
When I reflected on today’s Gospel. I was reminded of a quote from Rich Warren: “God is love. He didn’t need us. But He wanted us. And that is the most amazing thing.”
His love is not only amazing but it also has the power to jar us out of the traps we set for ourselves: judging others, smug superiority, outwardly living a perfect Church life but inwardly betraying His words; demeaning another person; believing somehow that we are privileged and different than others; playing the victim of our lives to constantly seek the sympathy of others; believing that we or our race/class/group are better than another; wrapping our outward spirituality around us and using pious acts to justify those beliefs that we know are wrong.
That is SIN. Sin which infects us, in one degree or another. Sin that eats away our soul as leprosy eats away the physical being. Each of us has spiritual leprosy to one degree or another.
But here is the amazing and outrageously wonderful side of all of that. HE LOVES US! He loves us regardless of what darkness surrounds us. In fact, He came to dispel that darkness. Doesn’t that send a shiver up your spine. It does mine!
Jesus, who is completely clean and pure, reached out and cleansed the leper. Jesus can do the same to us: He can forgive our sins and cleanse us if we ask for His forgiveness. Luke also says that the leper fell on his face when he saw Jesus. This is showing that we must all come down from our pride and self-righteousness all the way to the feet of Christ to be forgiven and cleansed. I am a sinner. I continuously fall, but God never ceases to forgive me and lift me back up. God shows His immense love by giving me mercy every time I come down from my pride and my sins to fall at His feet. And this is one of the most beautiful things – God never stops forgiving and He never stops loving. As St. Augustine said, “God loves each of us as if there were only one of us.” Jesus reached out and cleansed the leper even though there were hundreds of others. We are the leper. We can all ask for forgiveness and be cleaned. We must not forget the love and mercy that He shows.
Prayer of The Day
Lord Jesus, inflame my heart with your love and make me clean and whole in body, mind, and spirit. May I never doubt your love nor cease to tell others of your mercy and compassion.
Daily Note
It is Christ who gives us the opportunity to make a radical and deep change in our life. With His testimony of life and of New Life, Christ proposes to us a totally true and possible alternative against whatever impediment for loving is encrusted in our hearts and lives. We must be able to offer all those approaching our lives what we have received from our Lord. But, first, we must have met with Him to renew our engagement to live His Gospel in the small things of our daily lives.
