Reading I
1 Jn 5:5-13
Beloved:
Who indeed is the victor over the world
but the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?
This is the one who came through water and Blood, Jesus Christ,
not by water alone, but by water and Blood.
The Spirit is the one who testifies,
and the Spirit is truth.
So there are three who testify,
the Spirit, the water, and the Blood,
and the three are of one accord.
If we accept human testimony,
the testimony of God is surely greater.
Now the testimony of God is this,
that he has testified on behalf of his Son.
Whoever believes in the Son of God
has this testimony within himself.
Whoever does not believe God has made him a liar
by not believing the testimony God has given about his Son.
And this is the testimony:
God gave us eternal life,
and this life is in his Son.
Whoever possesses the Son has life;
whoever does not possess the Son of God does not have life.
I write these things to you so that you may know
that you have eternal life,
you who believe in the name of the Son of God.
Gospel
Lk 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.
Meditation: Luke 5:12-16
Have you ever wondered why Jesus commanded people not to tell others about their healing?
Wouldn’t he want to be renowned as a wonder-worker? Wouldn’t that make it all the easier for people to accept him as the Messiah? But it seemed like that was the last thing Jesus wanted!
Scripture scholars call it the “Messianic secret”—Jesus refused the spotlight because he didn’t want people to get the wrong idea about his ministry. The Jews had been hoping for a powerful earthly king, but that wasn’t the kind of Messiah Jesus came to be. Yes, he healed the sick. He also raised the dead and fed people miraculously. But that wasn’t the whole picture! Jesus came to bring the fullness of life, and of course healing was part of that. But so too was forgiveness of sin, victory over death, and a whole new way of thinking and acting in this world. Jesus wanted people to see the big picture, not just one part, however spectacular that part was!
Jesus wants us to see the big picture today as well. He doesn’t want us to come to him only when we are feeling down or in need. Why not? Because he doesn’t just want to fix our problems! After all, the Christian life is not only about pardon from sin. It’s about a mighty God who created the entire universe. It’s about Jesus’ promise to come again and establish an eternal kingdom. It’s about his people living heavenly lives on earth—lives dedicated to him and to shaping the world according to his call to justice, peace, and mercy.
So aim for the big picture. Jesus has ushered in a whole new way of life for us. The very way we think, the decisions we make, the way we express our love—all these and more can now be reshaped by divine logic. We can actually take on the mind of Christ! And when you look at it this way, you stretch your vision. Not only do you end up looking at the individual details of life. You begin to see the hand of God in every situation, and that fills you with joy and wonder.
How big is your vision?
“Lord Jesus, thank you for the life you have given to me. Help me to see how wide and high and deep this life really is!”
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