Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Luke 5, 12-16
It happened that there was a man full of leprosy in one of the towns where Jesus 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.
Show yourself to Jesus
1. Leprosy. It was a disease that was considered impure. It excluded you from society and your family. I’d like to talk about moral leprosy where you cut yourself off from others, you don’t want to share anything with anybody, and you shut yourself in your room or isolate yourself just to spend hours looking at your cell phone. This isolation is due to fear, shame, or pride. You feel impure because you believe that if you share or talk about what is bothering you, you’ll be judged. You feel like you are festering inside, and you’re turning into an angry, negative person. This leprosy will lead to distance yourself from others and shut yourself off from the world. There are only wounds and pain inside you and that ‘infection’ never seems to get cured.
2. Purified. Go to Jesus and ask Him to heal you, open your heart and express everything within you. Think hard about your life story, this helps to objectify your wounds. Talk to a priest about your wounds, fears and mistakes because he’ll listen and not judge. He’ll accompany and support you. Look for friends that can keep you company and help you fulfil your needs. Do not think you are a bother. True friends always help, but if you isolate yourself nobody will even know what you’re going through or what you need. God wants to purify you, but it is vital that first you should want to be purified. Do you want to heal? Have you talked to someone about what is happening to you? Are you afraid to be judged by what you did?
