Friday after the
Epiphany
(I John5:5-13; Luke 5:12-16)
A man, known for his charity, would always give credit to
his wife. He would say that she was the
kindest person in the world. Deflecting
praise to her, the man showed himself all the more worthy of it. Jesus appears in this mode in the gospel
today.
Being confronted by a leper is a bit like having a
mentally deranged person come into the room.
He or she is likely to cost one time if not more serious trouble. Jesus, however, shows no indication of
fright. Quite the contrary he is bold
enough to touch the leper, thereby making himself unclean. Meanwhile, his touch restores the leper to
health. Jesus then tells the man to have
his healing verified by a priest as prescribed by Jewish law. The people, unbothered by the possibility of Jesus’
contamination, throng around him. Curiously, however, he withdraws from them to
pray to God.
This gospel gives us insight into God’s coming among us as
we conclude Christmas festivities this weekend.
He is here to heal us of our infirmities, even at considerable cost to
himself. He does not overturn
established customs but brings them to fruition. Nor does he exploit his powers for
self-aggrandizement; rather, he always stays in touch with their source – his relationship
with the Father. More than insight into
Jesus, the gospel provides us a model for our lives.
