Jesus proclaimed the Good News of the kingdom
and cured all kinds of diseases among the people. MT 4:23
1 JOHN 5:5-13
My Soul's Beloved,
In You I am more than a conqueror for believing in You and in the One who sent You I can and will overcome the world, the flesh, and the devil. I have been baptized, and confirmed, I have received the Sacraments, I am privileged to receive You daily in Holy Communion and each time I approach You with a humble heart and contrite spirit in the Sacrament of Reconciliation I hear Your voice, every single time, speaking to me through the lips of Your consecrated and anointed priests - "Your sins are forgiven. Go in peace."
I am bathed in the waters of baptism. I am consecrated and anointed by the Blood of the Lamb. I have received the Holy Spirit and God testifies that I am Yours. I am His always both in time and in eternity. If God has proclaimed that I am His there is no power in the world or the underworld that can snatch me from Your Hands, my Beloved.
I believe that You are the Son of God. Those I love and pray for daily with tears, moans, and groans testify that You are the Son of God, and because we believe, God in His infinite mercy, and by the infinite merits that You won for the whole world on the Cross, we will be saved. Eternal life will be given to us because God is good and His Word of salvation is true and everlasting.
Everybody who believes in the Son of God
has this testimony inside him;
and anyone who will not believe God
is making God out to be a liar,
because he has not trusted
the testimony God has given about his Son.
This is the testimony:
God has given us eternal life
and this life is in his Son;
anyone who has the Son has life,
anyone who does not have the Son does not have life.
I have written all this to you
so that you who believe in the name of the Son of God
may be sure that you have eternal life.
PSALM 147:12-15,19-20
O praise the Lord, Jerusalem!
O praise the Lord, Jerusalem!
Zion, praise your God!
He has strengthened the bars of your gates
he has blessed the children within you.
He established peace on your borders,
he feeds you with finest wheat.
He sends out his word to the earth
and swiftly runs his command.
he feeds you with finest wheat.
He sends out his word to the earth
and swiftly runs his command.
He makes his word known to Jacob,
to Israel his laws and decrees.
He has not dealt thus with other nations;
he has not taught them his decrees.
to Israel his laws and decrees.
He has not dealt thus with other nations;
he has not taught them his decrees.
O praise the Lord, Jerusalem!
LUKE 5:12-16
My Soul's Beloved,
LUKE 5:12-16
My Soul's Beloved,
Most of us and perhaps some of us involuntarily shrink from those who are physically disfigured. We avert our eyes and distance ourselves from them. We are so consumed by our own feelings perhaps even of revulsion that we fail to see the utter misery, hopelessness, loneliness, and deep sorrow and pain that is their constant experience. I truly believe, Beloved, that the state of our soul and the state of the soul of these people, who based solely on their appearance suffer alienation and perhaps worse, possess souls that are beautiful and most pleasing in the sight of God. I believe, Lord, I confess that this is true of me. I am always making judgments based on the way people look physically. I am aware that there are many good people in the world who can see past the physical abnormalities or disfigurements of the person. To my shame, I am not one of them. However, I am aware that when I get close to them I will know that they are far better than I.
Today Lord we reflect on the miracle You worked by curing a man covered in leprosy. His face and his limbs would have been hideously affected by the disease and people would give him a wide berth when he approached. A leprous soul is far more hideous than a leprous body but because it is hidden from view we fail to see its horrific effects. The leper had faith in You. He heard of the many miracles You had worked and he believed that You could do for him what You had done for others. Unperturbed by the horror of the crowd he approached You, fell on his face, and implored You saying, ‘Sir, if you want to, you can cure me.’ Your response to his cri de coeur was instant. You stretched out Your hand, touched him, and said, ‘Of course I want to! Be cured!’ And the leprosy left him at once.
You ordered him to tell no one but to go and show himself to the priest, and make the offering for healing as prescribed by Moses as evidence that he was cured.
Lord Jesus, we too have a remedy for the leprosy of sin that disfigures our soul and that remedy is the Sacrament of Reconciliation. Thank You, Lord, for this awesome Sacrament that renders our soul spotless and free from all stain of sin and reconciles us to both God and man.
Lord, You teach us how needful it is for us to make time daily and often to spend time alone with You in prayer. Grant us the grace we need to do so daily and frequently.
Jesus' reputation continued to grow, and large crowds would gather to hear him and to have their sickness cured, but he would always go off to some place where he could be alone and pray.
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