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Reflect on Jesus' compassion and transformative healing in Luke 5:12-16, and discover how faith and prayer can bring grace to you and your family.

Today's Gospel: Luke 5:12-16

We are not lepers, but in this Gospel account of Jesus’ healing, leprosy serves as a symbol for all forms of human brokenness and need, both visible and invisible.
 
Jesus consistently responds to leprosy — and all forms of need — with compassion. He does not recoil from the afflicted; instead, He draws near, offering both physical healing and spiritual renewal. Jesus’ response to this leper perfectly discloses His mission to heal bodies, minds, hearts, and relationships.
 
In the Gospel of Luke, leprosy highlights the depth of human need: physical, spiritual, emotional, and social. Jesus’ response is one of radical compassion, crossing boundaries to bring spiritual and physical healing and life-giving newness. For Jesus, all healing is a sign of the all-encompassing, transformative power of God’s grace available to all who seek it.
 
Notice that the man with leprosy approaches Jesus, falls prostrate before Him and begs Him with confidence,
“Lord, if you will, you can make me clean.”
That is all the invitation Jesus needs to act, transforming this poor man’s life. Perhaps He is just waiting for each of us to ask for His help with the confidence born of faith.
 
Venerable Patrick Peyton, the Rosary priest, born on this day in 1909, always reminded couples that healing and hope were just a few family prayers away: “The family that prays together stays together.”

 

Ponder:

What grace do I need from God today? What grace does my family need?

 

Pray:

Jesus, help me to remember Your invitation to come to You in my need, my gratitude, and my silence.

 

Pray Together:

Make a prayer intentions list for your family on a whiteboard, bulletin board or blackboard, or in a journal. Pray for those intentions during your family prayer time.

 


January 9

Copyright 2026 Father Willy Raymond, C.S.C.

 

About the Author

Father Willy Raymond, C.S.C.

Father Willy Raymond, C.S.C.

Father Wilfred J. Raymond, C.S.C. (Father Willy), a native of Old Town, Maine, is the eighth of 12 children. He joined the Congregation of Holy Cross in 1964 and was ordained to the priesthood in 1971. He earned a bachelor’s degree in philosophy from Stonehill College in 1967 and a master’s in Theology from the University of Notre Dame in 1971. He served in ministry at Stonehill College (1979-1992), Holy Cross leadership (1994-2000), National Director of Family Theater Productions, Hollywood (2000-2014), and President of Holy Cross Family Ministries (2014-2022). In addition to English, he is conversant in French and Spanish. He remains a diehard fan of the Boston Red Sox, even though he has served as Chaplain for the Los Angeles Dodgers.