Friday, June 28, 2013
12th Week in Ordinary Time St. Irenaeus
1st Reading: Gen 17:1, 9-10, 15-22 Gospel: Mt 8:1-4
When Jesus came down from the mountain, large crowds followed him. Then a leper came forward. He knelt before him and said, “Sir, if you want to, you can make me clean.” Jesus stretched out his hand, touched him, and said, “I want to, be clean again.” At that very moment the man was cleansed from his leprosy. Then Jesus said to him, “See that you do not tell anyone, but go to the priest, have yourself declared clean, and offer the gift that Moses ordered as proof of it.”
D@iGITAL-EXPERIENCE (Daily Gospel in
the Assimilated Life
Experience)
Today’s Gospel reminds me of “Tears of the Sun” starring Bruce Willis and Monica Bellucci. The film is about Lt. Waters of the Navy SEAL who went to war-torn Africa with a mission to fulfill. He was to rescue Dr. Lena Hendricks- an American, who was in Africa taking care of refugees with nowhere to run. Lt. Waters cheated death and got to the refugee area, but only to find out that Hendricks was not willing to return to America.
The escape helicopter could no longer hover over, for the rebels were closing in posing great danger. Finally Waters made the risky decision. He stayed with Hendricks and abandoned his mission. Together they led the refugees out of that station, with the rebels pursuing them with the ferocity of a lion. A priest volunteered to keep the remaining refugees safe. He was ready to die with those who were too sick to escape. When the rebels arrived, the priest knelt to plead for their lives. The rebel leader was a heartless beast; he killed without qualms even a kneeling priest.
Today’s Gospel flashes a leper kneeling. He knelt before Jesus asking for complete healing. Society at that time considered him practically dead – outcast in society with no rightful place to lay his head. He must have pleaded with Jesus with the same earnestness of the priest. But his pleading was submissive and he wasn’t likely to insist. “Sir, if you want to, you can make me clean”, said the leper. It was evident he was so confident in Jesus’ pastoral care. He also believed that curing a leper was well within Jesus’ power. Such a pleading uttered in faith so firm and trusting, moved the heart of Jesus to grant the favor he was asking. Jesus stretched out his hand, touched him, and said, “I want to, be clean again.”
Each time we plead with faith alive, we trigger Jesus’ sympathy and win him to our side. Check it out: your faith could be dead. You might end up kneeling before the wrong God and lose your head. – Rev. Fr. Dan Domingo P. delos Angeles, Jr., DM. Email: dan.delosangeles@gmail.com. Website: www.frdan.org.
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