Year: 2024

***

Gospel: Matthew 8: 1-4

When Jesus came down from the mountain, great crowds followed him.
And then a leper approached, did him homage, and said,
“Lord, if you wish, you can make me clean.”
He stretched out his hand, touched him, and said,
“I will do it.  Be made clean.”
His leprosy was cleansed immediately.
Then Jesus said to him, “See that you tell no one,
but go show yourself to the priest,
and offer the gift that Moses prescribed;
that will be proof for them.”

The Gospel of the Lord.

***

***

After the fall of the Romanian dictator, Nicolae Ceausescu, in 1989, numerous orphanages were opened to the world’s eyes. Thousands of children were discovered after having lived for years in unimaginable conditions.

Many were so neglected they could not relate to others. They could not speak. They could not give or receive affection. Psychologists believed these children’s inability to relate to other people was the result of being denied the gift of human touch… for most of their life.

***

In today’s Gospel, a leper falls at the feet of Jesus after years of neglect. The curse of leprosy was not only physical; it was also psychological, spiritual, and emotional. Lepers were forced to separate themselves from the rest of humanity. 

According to Jewish Law, they had to keep their hair disheveled, wear a bell around their neck, and whenever another person neared, they’d have to shout, “Unclean! Unclean!”

I wonder how long it had been since this poor leper experienced the gift of human touch. A year? Two years? Ten?

Imagine going just a month without a hug, a handshake, or a pat on your back. 

***

Suddenly, this leper’s luck changes. He spots Jesus off in the distance. Rushing through the crowds, he throws himself down, and in a stunning display of faith says, “Lord, if you wish, you can make me clean.” 

Notice his confidence and humility. He doesn’t doubt the Lord’s power to heal, but he doesn’t demand, he simply asks for Jesus to heal him.

The Lord could’ve done so with the power of his voice. But he kneels down and touches him, ending that awful streak of neglect. Here the Lord’s love for humanity is revealed.

In touching the man, Jesus becomes ritually impure, and symbolically takes the leprosy upon himself. It also represents what he will do for all of us when he takes our sins upon himself, dying on a cross.

***

What might this mean for us?

There is no limit to the Lord’s compassion, certainly for the sick, the suffering, and the neglected. Part of our mission as Christians is to embody that same divine love, extending it to others. 

How might I show such compassion to person in need today?

***

***

Image credits: (1) Christ the Consoler, Saatchi Art (2) The Robot Report (3) Human Touch, Manning and Co.

***

Gospel: Matthew 7: 21-29

Jesus said to his disciples:
“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’
will enter the Kingdom of heaven,
but only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven.
Many will say to me on that day,
‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name?
Did we not drive out demons in your name?
Did we not do mighty deeds in your name?’
Then I will declare to them solemnly,
‘I never knew you. Depart from me, you evildoers.’

“Everyone who listens to these words of mine and acts on them
will be like a wise man who built his house on rock.
The rain fell, the floods came,
and the winds blew and buffeted the house.
But it did not collapse; it had been set solidly on rock.
And everyone who listens to these words of mine
but does not act on them
will be like a fool who built his house on sand.
The rain fell, the floods came,
and the winds blew and buffeted the house.
And it collapsed and was completely ruined.”

When Jesus finished these words,
the crowds were astonished at his teaching,
for he taught them as one having authority,
and not as their scribes.

The Gospel of the Lord.

***

***

Have you ever tasted a Sour Patch Kid? 

It’s a gummy candy covered in sugar. When you first chew it, a Sour Patch Kid tastes incredibly sour like a lemon. 

But the more you chew it, the sweeter it becomes.

***

That, to me, is an image of the Christian life.

It isn’t always easy to do the Lord’s will. In fact, sometimes Christ’s words can leave a very sour taste in our mouth. “Love your enemies. Pray for those who persecute you. Turn the other cheek.”

But the more we follow him, the easier – the sweeter – his will becomes.

***

What might following the Lord look like concretely?

Telling the truth when it’s difficult… reaching into our pockets when there’s not much left… letting go of a grudge when we’d rather nurse it… forgiving someone who’s hurt us… Handing control of our life over to Him.

This is the path of love.

***

“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven,” Jesus says. “Only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven.”

You might say, those who’ve developed a taste for Sour Patch Kids, trusting that the sour always becomes sweet.

***

***

Image credits: (1) Sour Patch Kids, Target (2) iStock (3) Scripture Fix

***

Gospel: Matthew 7:15-20

Jesus said to his disciples:
“Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing,
but underneath are ravenous wolves.
By their fruits you will know them.
Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles?
Just so, every good tree bears good fruit,
and a rotten tree bears bad fruit.
A good tree cannot bear bad fruit,
nor can a rotten tree bear good fruit.
Every tree that does not bear good fruit will be cut down
and thrown into the fire.
So by their fruits you will know them.”

The Gospel of the Lord.

***

***

“Good trees bear good fruit,” the Lord says in today’s Gospel.

But can we bear more fruit?

***

One of the best ways to bear more fruit is to remove those withering branches.

They’re the dark, limp twigs that sap energy and nutrients without giving anything back. It’s an important truth: withering branches take energy to die, which is why a farmer prunes them.

The faster those lifeless branches are removed, the more fruitful the tree or vine becomes.

***

What might a withering branch look like in our own lives?

Imagine holding onto a grudge. That anger would sap your energy without giving anything back. The quicker you let go of that grudge, the happier you become. 

Or consider having a bad habit. It demands your time and energy while denigrating your health. The quicker you can let it go, the happier – and more fruitful – you become.

***

“Good trees bear good fruit,” the Lord says. 

But can you bear more fruit?

Identify those withering branches and surrender them to the Lord, the Divine Gardener, who will enable us to bear thirty, sixty, even a hundredfold.

***

***

Image credits: (1) What Kind of Heart Bears Good Fruit? LinkedIn (2) Musings and Wonderment (3) MCF Life Church