The following is my reflection that I have been sharing with the students during the communal service of Reconciliation:
Now there was a man full of leprosy in one of the towns where he was; and when he saw Jesus, he fell prostrate, pleaded with him, and said, “Lord, if you wish, you can make me clean.”Jesus stretched out his hand, touched him, and said, “I do will it. Be made clean.” And the leprosy left him immediately. Then he ordered him not to tell anyone, but “Go, show yourself to the priest and offer for your cleansing what Moses prescribed; that will be proof for them.” The report about him spread all the more, and great crowds assembled to listen to him and to be cured of their ailments, but he would withdraw to deserted places to pray. -- Luke 5:12-16
“Lord, if you wish, you can make me clean. Lord, if you wish, you can make me clean.” In the Gospel reading we just heard, we encounter a leper, a man marked by society as an outcast—untouchable, forced to the margins of society, unlovable even—simply because of who he is, because of his lot in life. Seeing Jesus, he immediately falls prostrate—he throws himself onto the ground at Jesus’ feet, and he pleads. He begs Jesus, showing his incredible faith, and saying, “Lord, if you wish, you can make me clean.”
When hearing stories like this about Jesus, how often do we think about the fact that Jesus actually made choices. He was a person, right? So like us, Jesus made choices. This leper, completely vulnerable, puts the ball right in Jesus’ court and says, essentially, “I know you can heal me if you want to.” And how does Jesus respond to this cry? The Gospel-writer says, “Jesus stretched out his hand, touched him, and said, ‘I do will it. Be made clean.’” No question. No hesitation. Jesus reaches out and touches this broken man, transforming him, making him whole.
Like this leper, we are in relationship with a God who constantly reaches out to us and touches our hearts and souls—a God who longs to transform us…to make us whole. We are called to see Jesus walking with us in our own lives…Jesus who says, “Yes, I see your brokenness, your dark places,” Jesus who guides us to choose life and abundance and right, Jesus who looks at us…at all of us as we are…and sees our gifts, Jesus who chooses to say, “I do will it. Be made clean.” All you have to do is ask. Because of how profoundly I love you, all you have to do is ask.
In just a few moments, you will be invited to receive the sacrament of Reconciliation. This sacrament is Christ’s offering of relationship and connection—to help us acknowledge and work through our sin so we can more fully become the people God is calling us to be…so we can become who we really are. I encourage you to take advantage of this chance to talk face-to-face with a priest, who will represent Jesus and the whole community, the Body of Christ. As you share your struggles with them, Jesus will be with you, offering you forgiveness and freedom. Jesus has already made his choice. What will yours be?
“Lord, if you wish, you can make me clean. Lord, if you wish, you can make me clean.” In the Gospel reading we just heard, we encounter a leper, a man marked by society as an outcast—untouchable, forced to the margins of society, unlovable even—simply because of who he is, because of his lot in life. Seeing Jesus, he immediately falls prostrate—he throws himself onto the ground at Jesus’ feet, and he pleads. He begs Jesus, showing his incredible faith, and saying, “Lord, if you wish, you can make me clean.”
When hearing stories like this about Jesus, how often do we think about the fact that Jesus actually made choices. He was a person, right? So like us, Jesus made choices. This leper, completely vulnerable, puts the ball right in Jesus’ court and says, essentially, “I know you can heal me if you want to.” And how does Jesus respond to this cry? The Gospel-writer says, “Jesus stretched out his hand, touched him, and said, ‘I do will it. Be made clean.’” No question. No hesitation. Jesus reaches out and touches this broken man, transforming him, making him whole.
Like this leper, we are in relationship with a God who constantly reaches out to us and touches our hearts and souls—a God who longs to transform us…to make us whole. We are called to see Jesus walking with us in our own lives…Jesus who says, “Yes, I see your brokenness, your dark places,” Jesus who guides us to choose life and abundance and right, Jesus who looks at us…at all of us as we are…and sees our gifts, Jesus who chooses to say, “I do will it. Be made clean.” All you have to do is ask. Because of how profoundly I love you, all you have to do is ask.
In just a few moments, you will be invited to receive the sacrament of Reconciliation. This sacrament is Christ’s offering of relationship and connection—to help us acknowledge and work through our sin so we can more fully become the people God is calling us to be…so we can become who we really are. I encourage you to take advantage of this chance to talk face-to-face with a priest, who will represent Jesus and the whole community, the Body of Christ. As you share your struggles with them, Jesus will be with you, offering you forgiveness and freedom. Jesus has already made his choice. What will yours be?
No comments:
Post a Comment