Daily Gospel Reflection for January 9, 2015

Today's Gospel: Luke 5:12-16

How many times has he imagined this moment?
If he can only see Jesus, just once, just for a few seconds, this man’s entire life can change in an instant.

Yet now, as Jesus approaches him, the leper freezes, his heart pounding, his palms sweaty. He wants to call out to Jesus, but the words catch in his throat. There are townspeople milling around Jesus, going about their lives, free from the disease that keeps him separate and apart from them—surely each of them has needs, too? Surely any one of their requests is more important to Jesus than a leper’s desire to be healed. As an outcast, how can he bring himself to ask Jesus for anything?

How bold the leper was to call out to Jesus and ask to be healed. Maybe others in his position would keep silent, imagining themselves unworthy of contact with Jesus and outside the realm of his healing power.

Many times, when we ask something of God, we approach Him hesitantly, fearing that He might not be willing to grant our requests. In this story, Jesus shows us that He wills what is in our good. The leper wants to be made clean and says to Jesus, “If you will it, you can make this happen.” Jesus says, “I do will it. Be made clean.” It happens immediately.

When we approach God with our intentions, it is not so much that we are convincing God to do what we want. It is that we are aligning ourselves with the healing work of God’s kingdom already in progress. God is at work in our lives and in our world. Jesus, God’s work personified, came to bring God’s healing. The leper knows that Jesus has the power to make him clean, which he wants more than anything. When he begs Jesus to heal him, he aligns the desires of his heart with Jesus’ purpose to bring healing, and a miracle happens.

When the desires of our hearts align with the healing purpose of God, the results are powerful.

Ponder:

In what areas of your life can you boldly ask God to help you work with him to bring healing?

Pray:

Father, help me to pray in alignment with your powerful purpose to bring healing to our hurting world.

We thank our friends at The Word Among Us for providing our gospel reflection team with copies of Abide In My Word 2015: Mass Readings at Your Fingertips. To pray the daily gospels with this wonderful resource, visit The Word Among Us.

Copyright 2015 Abbey Dupuy