Great Faith

02-11-2024Weekly ReflectionThe Faithful Disciple

GROW: The leper in today’s Gospel was not only severely ill, but he was also barred from practicing his faith. Because he was considered unclean, he could not enter the temple to worship. It is no wonder he did everything in his power to find Jesus and beg him for healing. And heal him Jesus did, both body and soul. According to commentary on this passage from the USCCB, “In curing the leper, Jesus assumes that the priests will reinstate the cured man into the religious community.” It seems to me that this Gospel is about faith, and about love. The leper had great faith that Jesus could heal him, and the great love of Jesus for this man moved Jesus to go against mosaic law by touching and healing him. When we read the Scriptures we are reminded over and over again how much God loves us. Let us allow this knowledge to sink into our hearts and change us. When we begin to reflect God’s love to those around us, we will find that our lives are filled with his peace. Give it a try: Love as Jesus loves.

GO: The Gospel is about Jesus’ love, and it’s also about great faith. Faith is a theological virtue that involves believing in God and everything he has said and revealed. It is a free gift from God, and with the help of his grace, faith is the foundation of our personal and communal relationship with our Triune God. As God’s children baptized into the Body of Christ, we can root everything we do in faith so that all of our actions point to God and to building his kingdom. How do we do this? It’s hard to say it much better than Paul does in his letter to the Corinthians today: “Whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do everything for the glory of God.”

ACCOMPANY: How do we love as Jesus loves? Accompany another. Perhaps there is someone in our lives with whom we can walk alongside on their journey of faith. It need not be intimidating; as Christian disciples we already possess the tools we need to accompany: listen, love, share and pray.