DAILY- HOMILY

January 11, 2019 – FRIDAY, Christmas Weekday

White.

1 Jn 5: 5 – 13 / Lk 5: 12 – 16

Gospel Reading:               Lk 5: 12 – 16

One day in another town, a man came to Jesus covered with leprosy. On seeing him he bowed down to the ground, and said, "Lord, if you want to, you can make me clean."

Stretching out his hand, Jesus touched the man and said, "Yes, I want it. Be clean." In an instant the leprosy left him. Then Jesus instructed him, "Tell this to no one. But go and show yourself to the priest. Make an offering for your healing, as Moses prescribed; that should be a proof to the people."

But the news about Jesus spread all the more, and large crowds came to him to listen and be healed of their sickness. As for Jesus, he would often withdraw to solitary places and pray.

REFLECTION

The problem with a physical miracle is that if you are not there to witness the miracle yourself, you would not believe that it happened. You would just rely on hearsay but would not be convinced. That is why, in a sense, the efficacy of a physical miracle is quite limited. The danger is that people would want to seek Jesus as a way out of sickness and physical suffering, focusing on the healing of physical sicknesses and paying less attention to the greater mission that Christ came for.

Jesus wanted salvation in a higher context for man. He wanted us to receive eternal life. Our limited and earthly vision is rooted in this world without thinking that another life exists. Christ came for a greater mission than just to cure physical sickness. He came to cure and redeem our spiritual sicknesses, to forgive sin and to bring us to the Kingdom of the Lord.

For the meaning of our lives is not just for our bodies to attain a healthy condition, not just to be free from sickness, but to form ourselves with the help of the Holy Spirit to become the likeness and image of God which is one of love. That is why, even for the poor, for the sick, for the handicapped, for the children with Down syndrome – there is still meaning in their lives. There is meaning in old age, in suffering, in failure, in the crosses that we bear every day.

Let us pray that we will discover the inner joy of our souls. Even Jesus needed to withdraw to solitary places to pray. The real miracle in Lourdes, France, is that many who go there but are not cured continue to believe and have faith in God. Happy are those who don't see but believe!

FINALLY, WE PRAY FOR ONE ANOTHER, FOR THOSE WHO HAVE ASKED OUR PRAYERS AND FOR THOSE WHO NEED OUR PRAYERS THE MOST. 

Have a good day!

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   |  The Daily Prayer, a service and an apostolate of the

   |  priests, laity and friends of Mary the Queen Parish

   |  distributed free and for personal use only.  

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