Friday January 7

Friday After Epiphany

Life Through Faith in Jesus

What John says in his letter about faith in Jesus is exemplified in the gospel. Faith consists in believing in Jesus Christ, “who came by water and blood”; when he was baptized in the waters of the Jordan, he was proclaimed Son of God; by shedding his blood on the cross, he accomplished his mission. This Jesus has eternal life. By believing in him, we encounter him as a person and share in his life.

The leper believes in him: “You can cure me,” he says. Jesus restores the man’s health and thus manifests once more that God’s power and life is in him.

 

First Reading: 1 John 5:5-13

Every God-begotten person conquers the world’s ways. The conquering power that brings the world to its knees is our faith. The person who wins out over the world’s ways is simply the one who believes Jesus is the Son of God.

Jesus—the Divine Christ! He experienced a life-giving birth and a death-killing death. Not only birth from the womb, but baptismal birth of his ministry and sacrificial death. And all the while the Spirit is confirming the truth, the reality of God’s presence at Jesus’ baptism and crucifixion, bringing those occasions alive for us. A triple testimony: The Spirit, the Baptism, the Crucifixion. And the three in perfect agreement.

If we take human testimony at face value, how much more should we be reassured when God gives testimony as he does here, testifying concerning his Son. Whoever believes in the Son of God inwardly confirms God’s testimony. Whoever refuses to believe in effect calls God a liar, refusing to believe God’s own testimony regarding his Son.

This is the testimony in essence: God gave us eternal life; the life is in his Son. So, whoever has the Son, has life; whoever rejects the Son, rejects life.

 

Gospel: Luke 5:12-16

One day in one of the villages there was a man covered with leprosy. When he saw Jesus, he fell down before him in prayer and said, “If you want to, you can cleanse me.”

Jesus put out his hand, touched him, and said, “I want to. Be clean.” Then and there his skin was smooth, the leprosy gone.

Jesus instructed him, “Don’t talk about this all over town. Just quietly present your healed self to the priest, along with the offering ordered by Moses. Your cleansed and obedient life, not your words, will bear witness to what I have done.” But the man couldn’t keep it to himself, and the word got out. Soon a large crowd of people had gathered to listen and be healed of their ailments. As often as possible Jesus withdrew to out-of-the-way places for prayer.

 

Prayer

Lord God of life,
we believe with all that is in us
that Jesus is your Son and our Savior.
He can heal us from the leprosy of sin
and give us a share in the fullness of his life.
Deepen our faith in him and let it change our lives.
Let us encounter your Son from person to person,
that he may live in us
and that we may bear witness
that he is our Lord and Savior,
who lives with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever.

 

Reflection:

A God who dares to be quarantined!

The word ‘quarantine’ has become one of the most repeated words around the world, thanks to the pandemic that even after two years of its outbreak, continues to create chaos in our lives. Today’s Gospel talks about a clear case of quarantine of the times of Jesus! A leper came close to Jesus. He was breaching the norms of religion and society. People affected with leprosy were regarded as cursed by God and had to be quarantined, live far away from others. If anyone came in contact with a leper, he would be contaminated and become impure! But the leper in the Gospel today had great courage. He broke the norms of religion and society to get close to Jesus with a request: Lord, if you want, you can heal me!

Jesus indeed heals him – not just from his physical ailment, but heals him from his solitude – he touches the leper. For a daring act from the leper, a daring response from Jesus: By touching him, Jesus faces the risk of being branded as impure. “For me you are not an untouchable!” He cures him of his illness, saying: “I want it, be cured!”

The leper, in order to approach Jesus, had violated the norms of the law. But then, Jesus also breaks the norms of his religion and touches the leper to help that socially outcast man. Faith moves not only mountains—it moves the hands and heart of God as well.

The Gospel says, Jesus forbade the cured man from speaking about the healing. But, the person, perhaps out of sheer joy of being healed, started freely proclaiming and telling the story everywhere. Therefore, Jesus could no longer go openly into any town, but stayed outside in deserted places (Mk 1:45) Why? Because he had touched the leper! According to the law, Jesus became impure and therefore should be in quarantine! He could no longer enter into the cities.

And Mark says that the people did not care at all about the regulations of the law. Moreover, they flocked to him from all the surrounding places (Mk 1:45). Total Subversion!

The healing story teaches us a lesson: Do not be afraid of breaching the norms of the traditions if such norms prevent you from approaching God and living his commandment of love.

 

Video available on Youtube: A God who dares to be quarantined!