『Faith moves not only mountains – it moves the hands and heart of God as well.』

St. Raymond of Penafort, priest 

＊＊＊ 1st Reading ＊＊＊

1 John 5:5-13

  Who has overcome the world?

The one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God.  Jesus Christ was acknowledged through water, but also through blood. Not only water but water and blood.

And the Spirit, too, witnesses to him for the Spirit is truth.  There are then three testimonies:  the Spirit, the water and the blood, and these three witnesses agree.  If we accept human testimony, with greater reason must we accept that of God, given in favor of his Son.   If you believe in the Son of God, you have God’s testimony in you.

But those who do not believe make God a liar, since they do not believe his words when he witnesses to his Son.  What has God said? That he has granted us eternal life and this life is in his Son.  The one who has the Son has life, the one who do not have the Son of God do not have life.  I write you, then, all these things that you may know that you have eternal life, all you who believe in the Name of the Son of God.

 

Ps 147:12-13, 14-15, 19-20

Praise the Lord, Jerusalem.

 

＊＊＊＊ Gospel ＊＊＊＊ 

Luke 5:12-16

 One day in another town, a man came to Jesus covered with leprosy. On seeing him he bowed down to the ground, and said, “Lord, if you want to, you can make me clean.”

 Stretching out his hand, Jesus touched the man and said, “Yes, I want it. Be clean.” In an instant the leprosy left him.   Then Jesus instructed him, “Tell this to no one. But go and show yourself to the priest. Make an offering for your healing, as Moses prescribed; that should be a proof to the people.”

 But the news about Je­sus spread all the more, and large crowds came to him to listen and be healed of their sickness.  As for Jesus, he would often withdraw to solitary places and pray.

 

Desire and Daring

The healing in today’s gospel is the result of the confluence of the desires and the daring of two men: The leprosy-affected man who dared to approach Jesus and desired to be healed; and Jesus who desired to heal him and hence, reached out and touched him.

Both defied the unjust social norms of the day. The book of Leviticus has provided detailed instructions as to how to deal with those suffering from leprosy. Anyone diagnosed to be a leper had to live outside the camp, away from everyone and as a social outcast (Lev 13:46).

But here is a man ‘covered with leprosy’  daring to approach Jesus and express such hope in God’s love. How could Jesus deny healing to such a soul who knew the heart of God! faith moves not only mountains – it moves the hands and heart of God as well.