Reading 1
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.
Ps 147:12-13, 14-15, 19-20
Responsorial PsalmR. (12a)
Praise the Lord, Jerusalem.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Glorify the LORD, O Jerusalem;
praise your God, O Zion.
For he has strengthened the bars of your gates;
he has blessed your children within you.
R. Praise the Lord, Jerusalem.
or:
R. Alleluia.
He has granted peace in your borders;
with the best of wheat he fills you.
He sends forth his command to the earth;
swiftly runs his word!
R. Praise the Lord, Jerusalem.
or:
R. Alleluia.
He has proclaimed his word to Jacob,
his statutes and his ordinances to Israel.
He has not done thus for any other nation;
his ordinances he has not made known to them. Alleluia.
R. Praise the Lord, Jerusalem.
or:
R. Alleluia.
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
“Go, show yourself to the priest.” (Luke 5:14)
Can you imagine how surprised the priest must have been to see this man standing before him, completely cured of his leprosy? Being a priest, he would have known the Jewish laws concerning skin diseases—that people suffering from them were considered ritually unclean and needed to be separated from the community. He would probably have remembered the story of Miriam, Moses’ sister, who was stricken with leprosy as a punishment for her sin (Numbers 12). If you had leprosy, the only way to rejoin your family and friends was to be declared clean again by a priest (Leviticus 14). But for that to happen, you had to be healed first—and that was unlikely!
So you can imagine the priest’s surprise. He must have been even more surprised when he learned that it was Jesus who did the healing! Clearly, Jesus was no ordinary rabbi. God was working through him in a new and powerful way, both to forgive sins and to bring back into community those who were banished because of sin or disease. Could he possibly be the Messiah?
Pointing to this passage, numerous Fathers of the Church have likened sin to a leprosy that separates us from God and from each other. And that makes sense, doesn’t it? We all know how a guilty conscience can leave us feeling isolated from family and friends. We know how sin can hurt, and even break, relationships. Isn’t it comforting to know that by his cross, Jesus has restored us, both to God and to each other? We don’t have to remain isolated.
But there’s even more good news. God doesn’t just want to free us from isolation. He wants to make us into agents of healing and unity! Simply by the witness of our lives, we can demonstrate to other people God’s ability to bring life, health, and wholeness. You may not be a fearless evangelist converting thousands. You may not be a charismatic preacher explaining Scriptures to a packed church. But a joyful spirit and a servant’s heart can be just as convincing as impassioned words. Like the healed leper in today’s Gospel, you can make a difference!
“Lord, thank you for setting me free and healing me. By your Spirit, make me a force of unity. Help me bring people together in your name.”
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