#cleanse lepers

[mybeautifulchristianjourney]

The Leper’s Prayer (Leviticus 14:1-32; Mark 1:40-45; Luke 5:12-16)

1 And when he had come down from the mountain, great crowds followed him. 2 And behold, a leper came up to [him] and did him homage, saying, Lord, if thou wilt, thou art able to cleanse me. 3 And he stretched out his hand and touched him, saying, I will; be cleansed. And immediately his leprosy was cleansed. 4 And Jesus says to him, See thou tell no man, but go, shew thyself to the priest, and offer the gift which Moses ordained, for a testimony to them. — Matthew 8:1-4 | 1890 Darby Bible (DARBY) The Darby Translation of the Holy Bible is in the public domain Cross References: Exodus 4:7; Leviticus 13:49; Leviticus 14:2; Matthew 7:29; Matthew 8:25; Matthew 9:18; Matthew 9:30; Matthew 11:5; Matthew 12:13; Matthew 15:25; Matthew 18:26; Mark 1:44; Luke 4:27

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Healing the Leper

[jfarvin]

Matthew 10:5-15

Jesus sent out the Twelve with these instructions: “Don’t go into any Gentile or Samaritan territory. Go instead and find the lost sheep among the people of Israel. And as you go, preach this message: ‘Heaven’s kingdom realm is accessible, close enough to touch.’ You must continually bring healing to lepers and to those who are sick, and make it your habit to break off the demonic presence from people, and raise the dead back to life. Freely you have received the power of the kingdom, so freely release it to others. You won’t need a lot of money. Travel light, and don’t even pack an extra change of clothes in your backpack. Trust God for everything, because the one who works for him deserves to be provided for. “Whatever village or town you enter, search for an honorable man who will let you into his home until you leave for the next town. Once you enter a house, speak to the family there and say, ‘God’s blessing of peace be upon this house!’ And if those living there welcome you, let your peace come upon the house. But if you are rejected, that blessing of peace will come back upon you. And if anyone doesn’t listen to you and rejects your message, when you leave that house or town, shake the dust off your feet. Mark my words, on the day of judgment the wicked people who lived in the land of Sodom and Gomorrah will have a lesser degree of judgment than the city that rejects you, for the people of Sodom and Gomorrah did not have the opportunity that was given to them!

On Sunday we gather for temple worship and pray for people and the rest of the week we heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, and cast out demons.  Anywhere!  Everywhere!  In Jesus name!!!

ToDa, Abba, Toda

Jesus & jfa

[geekpreacher217]

I Was a Leper - Matthew 8:1-3

Jesus’ cleansing of the leper, and all of his miracles, are capable of building faith in those who read of them (John 20:30-31).  But they can also teach us about ourselves.  We, as God’s people, need to be reminded that once we were unclean, we were cut off from God’s people, but we have been brought near and made clean by the precious blood of Christ. 

[assmaster-8000]

cain, first... son of man.

-

limbo prophesies of a wanderer of worlds who will save them all from harrowing grief. and what have they, now? the man in chains before the 7 sovereigns is, for certain, a wanderer.

a wanderer in the sense a criminal runs; a wayward child betrays their home; a leper lingers on the outskirts of town.

to save... what a heavy word.

even god will purge you through the fires of hell before you are cleansed, for this is the salvation he pledged to mankind.

to save— could limbo handle such bitter redemption? the 'chosen one' is not always the martyr.

my mc who's gonna romance cécile BECAUSE WHO AM I KIDDING RAGHHHHH CÉCILE!!!!

this man is a convicted criminal btw lel

[from-the-notebooks]

Just dropping this in the Arcane tag for no reason at all

When he came down from the mountain, great crowds followed him. And behold, a leper came to him and knelt before him, saying, “Lord, if you will, you can make me clean.” And Jesus stretched out his hand and touched him, saying, “I will; be clean.” And immediately his leprosy was cleansed. Mathew 8:1-5

[myremnantarmy]

𝐍𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫 𝟏𝟑, 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟒 𝐆𝐨𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐥

Memorial of Saint Frances Xavier Cabrini, Virgin

Lk 17:11-19

As Jesus continued his journey to Jerusalem,

he traveled through Samaria and Galilee.

As he was entering a village, ten lepers met him.

They stood at a distance from him and raised their voice, saying,

“Jesus, Master! Have pity on us!”

And when he saw them, he said,

“Go show yourselves to the priests.”

As they were going they were cleansed.

And one of them, realizing he had been healed,

returned, glorifying God in a loud voice;

and he fell at the feet of Jesus and thanked him.

He was a Samaritan.

Jesus said in reply,

“Ten were cleansed, were they not?

Where are the other nine?

Has none but this foreigner returned to give thanks to God?”

Then he said to him, “Stand up and go;

your faith has saved you.”

[wotonofficial]

This is for 18/9/2024, by @nessianweek under #nessianweek2024 prompt: AU

Synopsis: This is an AU where after her transformation from the cauldron, Nesta has emerged as the harbinger of oblivion. The humans rejected her. The Fae tortured her. Her father ruined them. Feyre lived as a reminder. Now, with the meaninglessness of existence behind her, before her lives a world in need of cleansing. Sick, ailing, futile. A dying leper in an uncaring universe.

Yet this ends with her. The final blow to hopelessness.

Cassian has been dispatched to strike a peace treaty with the human kingdoms. For a coalition is in the talks. Yet who must he tame? What will this purgatory yield?

The story:

Sour, sordid stench. Sharp, piercing iron scorched the air.

Cassian held his stance, his nerves rooted, his muscles readied like the weapon by his side. His eyes watered, his nose curled, his grimace contorted. That searing, scalding, atomised atmosphere caressed his being. Not right. Not right. Not right.

His hazel pupils widened, that rich brown hint drained from them.

Nesta. No. Nesta. Nesta. Unmistakable. The chanting grows louder, sounding like a drum in his head. The beating grew worse.

Her eyes met his. Her pupils slit like a cat’s, boiling and burning like molten silver. The blizzards of flames grew worse. Every whiff was a crystal expanding through the lung. Her sclera glowed silver, then pitch black, then silver, each cycle brighter than the last. Her figure stood like a pillar of the gods, unchanging, unmoving, unyielding. For she was their instrument of judgement, she was judgement itself.

The cold, cutting, cruel inferno was but a breeze to Nesta. For though they slashed like a sword, they could not compare to the worrisome winters she weathered.

Damnation.

Damnation.

Damnation.

She was damned. She became damnation. The cauldron welded her. Where was warmth? Where was wealth? Where was the world? These insolent implications pulsed through Nesta, stabbing her being like the bite of an asp. Yet the world’s abasement had fled. As it fled, she claimed her power. She was not the rat who fled from the viper. She was a mongoose that crushed the skull of its adversary, that, unflinching from the serpent’s weapon. Her fist tightened, her fingers jammed right into the soft, slippery sockets of the lord’s face. Her grip alone pulverised his feeble skull, like a leopard sinking its fangs into an ape.

A thousand images, a million words, a billion impulses. Her eyes met the Illyrian. His audacity. Him. Him. His comrade. Feyre. Feyre. Betrayal. Dead. Dead to Nesta. The drums of war surged and pounded her skull. His gaze quivered, if even by the slightest fraction.

False. He was false. For how could so vicious a creature as he delude himself. Why show mercy now? They would never appreciate it. They were fit only to lick the dust of the world. The Fae? But an imitation of the most restrained human. A well-trained animal. She was the one to end this. To silence the clamouring and calumny of fools. No more competition. No more betterment. Silence.

Their gaze locked with each other. Destiny. No hope. Destiny. Final fight. Destiny. Better. Better life.

[jesuslivingwater]

Matthew 8:2-3 (NKJV)

And behold, a leper came and worshiped Him, saying, “Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean.”

Then Jesus put out His hand and touched him, saying, “I am willing; be cleansed.” Immediately his leprosy was cleansed.

[dear-wormwoods]

Rising from the dead to express a thought I had at the gym the other day while listening to IT again. I don’t know if anyone is still around to read this, and this post will probably be a bit incoherent, but - here it goes:

Okay, so we all know that Eddie feels a ‘rot’ inside him and that’s why he relates to the leper and goes back to Neibolt to put himself in the leper’s shoes before IT shows up.

I’ve written about this a few times over the years, so I don’t need to get too deep into it, but Eddie’s fascination with Neibolt only begins after he finds out that the leper doesn’t actually have leprosy but syphilis, at least according to Richie, and that the STD can be transmitted between men, not just men and women. It’s only then that his experience with the hobo transforms from a scary encounter with sexual overtones to something he identifies with in a way that’s confusing to him. He takes the feeling of ‘badness’ he’s had his whole life (see: church/toilet anecdote and shoplifting sign anecdote) and applies it to something he can actually visualize - physical rot, like he witnessed on the leper. He subconsciously associates the sexual nature of the leper’s disease with his own feelings - the rot is tied to sexuality, which IT used to target Eddie. The reason all this is relevant to THIS post is that Eddie is never able to express his thoughts and feelings in a way that is helpful or healing for him - he spends his entire life subconsciously repressing his sexuality, and thus is never able to rid himself of that ‘rotting from the inside’ feeling.

Which brings me to the scene I want to actually write about: the scene where Bill and Richie talk about Georgie’s death.

Like Eddie, Bill is weighed down by something rotting inside him - his feeling of guilt over Georgie’s death and thinking he’s responsible because he’s the one who made the paper boat. Unlike Eddie, Bill is able to voice his feelings, and voicing them allows him to let them go. He unloads on Richie, and subsequently receives some comfort, albeit not the best comfort because Richie is not very nurturing. Specifically, Bill feels clean after that release, which I’ll come back to in a bit.

On the same page, still on the subject of Georgie, Bill expresses that maybe Georgie didn’t know that Bill never meant for him to die, to which Richie responds:

This idea that death is like a window and everything becomes clear when you die, including knowing what others think and feel, seems like a relatively unimportant line at first glance. It definitely seems like Richie is making shit up - the closest line I could find to what he’s talking about is in Corinthians I, but that verse isn’t about death, it is about love and doesn’t mention any windows, only a mirror. Richie is just talking out of his ass. To be honest, I never paid this quote any mind any other time I’ve read or listened to the book. This time it jumped out to me because —

The concept returns upon Eddie’s death! Now, obviously Eddie’s death is incredibly important and meaningful because it symbolizes self acceptance in his last moments, but I never realized before that the window imagery had come up in the text previously.

As Eddie’s dying, both the ‘clean’ feeling Bill felt and the clarity Richie described come into play. This is the first time in Eddie’s life that he feels the ‘impurities’ leaving him. His death is cleansing him of his rot, allowing him to accept himself in a way he never has before. In addition, he’s able to see through a clear window and bask in the light of it, which, if what Richie said is true, means that he now has a true understanding of what others think and feel about him. This adds another layer to Eddie’s death that I never realized before - he is suddenly aware that the other Losers love and accept him for who he is, because he has that death clarity, and not only does that allow him to let go of his own pain and confusion (the rot), it almost allows him to voice his own feelings.

Richie loves him. The other Losers do too, but Richie is the one talking to him, the one he’s looking at in this moment, the one whose face he touches before he dies. He wants to voice his own love, because now that he’s let go of his self doubt he finally CAN, but dies before he’s able to.

The full Corinthians verse Richie MAY have been referring to before is often read at weddings:

Now, Richie was obviously inventing shit when he was comforting Bill, but there is something to be said for this verse re: Eddie’s death. It was not just about self acceptance, it was about accepting love from others and giving it in return.

After the fight is over, after ‘but he knew well enough’, when the Losers are back outside, this moment occurs:

Love overcomes everything, it’s the only thing that lasts, the thing that allows for full clarity and ‘knowing’.

All this dot connecting is to say that Eddie was going to say ‘you know I love you’, not ‘you know I hate that’.

[awfullybigwardrobe44]

“And behold, a leper came to him and knelt before him, saying, "Lord, if you will, you can make me clean." And Jesus stretched out his hand and touched him, saying, "I will; be clean." And immediately his leprosy was cleansed.” —Matthew‬ ‭8‬:‭2‬-‭3‬ ‭ESV‬‬

[anastpaul]

One Minute Reflection – 18 August – “The Month of the Immaculate Heart of Mary” – Pentecost XIII –Within the Octave of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin – Galatians 3:16-22; Luke 17:11-19 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/ “Where are the other nine?” – Luke 17:17 REFLECTION – “In our own day we see many people at prayer but, unfortunately, we see none of them turning back to give thanks to God … “Ten were cleansed, were they not? Where are the other nine?” As I think you will remember, it was in these words that our Saviour complained about the lack of gratitude of the other nine lepers. We read that they knew well how to make “supplications, prayers, petitions” since they lifted up their voices, crying out: “Jesus, Master! Have pity on us!” But they lacked the fourth thing required by the Apostle Paul: “thanksgiving” (1Tm 2:1) for they did not turn back nor give thanks to God. We see still more in our own day ,people who implore God for what they lack but a mere handful who seem to be grateful for the blessings they have received. There is no harm in imploring Him but what causes God not to grant our prayers, is His finding us lacking in gratitude. After all, perhaps it is even an act of mercy on His part, to hold back from the ungrateful, what they are asking for, so that they may not be judged all the more rigorously, on account of their ingratitude! … For, it is sometimes out of mercy that God holds back His mercy! …

(via One Minute Reflection – 18 August – “Where are the other nine?” – Luke 17:17 – AnaStpaul)

[godslove]

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐆𝐢𝐟𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐇𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠

The spiritual gift of healing found in 1 Corinthians 12:9 is actually in plural form in Greek. Charismata iamaton is literally translated “gifts of healings.” This spiritual gift is closely related to the gifts of faith and miracles. All spiritual gifts are to be exercised in faith, but gifts of healings involve a special measure of it. This gift is interesting in that there is no guarantee that a person will always be able to heal anyone he or she desires. It is subject to the sovereign will of God, as all spiritual gifts are.

The Disciples were given authority to heal and cast out demons, but they were not always successful. The Apostle Paul was not able to heal himself and was told that God’s grace was sufficient to carry him through his infirmity without removing it from him.

‭And lest I should be exalted above measure by the abundance of the revelations, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I be exalted above measure. ⁸ Concerning this thing I pleaded with the Lord three times that it might depart from me. ⁹ And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. ¹⁰ Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

—2 Corinthians 12:7-10

This gift is given at various times and places to reveal the God of heaven to the sick and tormented. If healing is not granted, then we can conclude that God has greater plans for letting the person go through the illness or infirmity.

The spiritual gift of healing is an intimate one as it reveals the heart and compassion of God. Jesus is the Great Healer and Physician and during His ministry on earth, He healed countless people and cast out demons.

“And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all kinds of sickness and all kinds of disease among the people. ²⁴ Then His fame went throughout all Syria; and they brought to Him all sick people who were afflicted with various diseases and torments, and those who were demon-possessed, epileptics, and paralytics; and He healed them.”

—Matthew 4:23-24

‭“When evening had come, they brought to Him many who were demon-possessed. And He cast out the spirits with a word, and healed all who were sick”

—Matthew 8:16

‭“Then Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every sickness and every disease among the people.”

—Matthew 9:35

“Then He healed many who were sick with various diseases, and cast out many demons; and He did not allow the demons to speak, because they knew Him.”

—Mark 1:34

Healings reveal that God is near to His people and He cares about their sufferings. Healings are meant to draw people to God through His Son Jesus Christ. God wants those healed to respond in faith with thanksgiving and love as the leper did in:

And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, returned, and with a loud voice glorified God, ¹⁶ and fell down on his face at His feet, giving Him thanks. And he was a Samaritan. ¹⁷ So Jesus answered and said, “Were there not ten cleansed? But where are the nine? ¹⁸ Were there not any found who returned to give glory to God except this foreigner?” ¹⁹And He said to him, “Arise, go your way. Your faith has made you well.”

—Luke 17:15-19

and as the demon-possessed man did in:

And when He got into the boat, he who had been demon-possessed begged Him that he might be with Him. ¹⁹ However, Jesus did not permit him, but said to him, “Go home to your friends, and tell them what great things the Lord has done for you, and how He has had compassion on you.” ²⁰ And he departed and began to proclaim in Decapolis all that Jesus had done for him; and all marveled.

—Mark 5:18-20

By God’s grace, physical healing should lead to spiritual healing (faith in Jesus) and eternal life with Him in heaven.

Those who have this gift are compassionate toward the sick and pray over them regularly. They have great faith and trust that God can and will heal some, and are not deterred when He chooses not to. They are motivated knowing that God’s revealed power will draw people to faith in Jesus. Their ultimate concern is the spiritual well-being of those being healed and their relationship with Jesus. They yearn for the day that there will be no more pain and suffering, and sin will no longer wreak havoc on the people of God.

“to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healings by the same Spirit,”

—1 Corinthians 12:9

“And God has appointed these in the church: first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, administrations, varieties of tongues.”

—1 Corinthians 12:28

“Do all have gifts of healings? Do all speak with tongues? Do all interpret?”

—1 Corinthians 12:30

“‭Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing psalms. ¹⁴ Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. ¹⁵ And the prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. ¹⁶ Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.”

—James 5:13-16

[thesolemnhour]

10, 20, and 25 for the wotr asks!

Thank you so much for asking, Kat!! I'm sorry it took me so long to get to it, these are so fun!

10. What would be the meal that give them a little ability bonus?

Gotta go mind-cleansing tea for Agria:

"Effects: Drinking Mind-cleansing Tea provides you with a +3 cooking bonus on all saving throws and a +3 cooking bonus to attack and damage rolls against anomalies for a day."

I think the thing about it that is really mind-cleansing about it is the fact that its a DC 40 knowledge world check, so even her INT +a million ass has to lock in and focus to get it right. It's like her version of a runner's high.

20. Which event of the crusade traumatized them?

This is so hard because there are really a great many traumatizing events in this game! The fall of Kenabres, the Leper's Smile, the Lost Chapel, and the Ineluctable Prison all get honorable mentions, but while they do leave a mark on her, I don't think they traumatize her in a way that is really particular to her.

I think the moment that is the most deeply upsetting to Agria specifically is actually becoming the Knight-Commander at the end of Act 1.

Suddenly and unexpectedly being thrust into a position of enormous responsibility and pressure is an absolute nightmare scenario for Agria. It's everything she is afraid of and everything she's spent the last four years of her life running away from.

It pollutes all of her relationships; they go from being roughly equal (she is only in charge because she is the bossiest) to being dependent on her. They become transactional. The way she sees it, no one cares about her as a person; they care about her as an asset. It's an article of faith to her that not one of her companions is still going to be her friend if she fails. Her friends won't forgive her, Galfrey won't forgive her, and Mendev certainly won't forgive her. It throws her back into her teen years; she knows how this is going to feel if the worst comes to pass.

That takes all the shine off the idea of friendship before the Crusade has even really started. She's angry and resentful of everyone and completely unable to explain to anyone why she feels that way. It's a very rough Act 2 for her.

25. How did they welcome the physical change that came with their mythic powers? Did they embrace it/reject it?

Initially, I think Agria feels like the Azata powers and the physical changes that come with them have to have been a mistake. Agria is a true believer in Desna, but she hasn't felt like a good Desnan once in her life. She gets lost in the simplicity, she's too attached to her ways to be truly spontaneous, she frets too much to really enjoy the journey. In their ease and joy, Ramien's acolytes make her feel a little small; the Azata powers triple that feeling. There is a part of her that is thrilled at what looks like a sign of Desna's favor, but the greater part of her feels like she got called on by the teacher while she was daydreaming in class.

Ironically, finding out the powers came from Areelu and not Desna is an enormous relief to her. She wasn't just handed Desna's blessing. She took a power that just as easily could have been demonic or angelic and made it her own. It alleviates her anxiety about being an interchangeable figurehead for the army: it's Agria's crusade, and she gets to pick the music. She feels infinitely more comfortable with the physical changes in Act 5.

[mybeautifulchristianjourney]

Devotional Hours Within the Bible by J.R. Miller

Jesus the Healer (Matthew 8:2-17)

A man with leprosy came and knelt before him and said: “Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean!”

Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man. “I am willing,” he said. “Be clean!” Immediately he was cured of his leprosy!

After the Sermon on the Mount, we have narratives of many healings. The first was that of a leper. The case was remarkable because the disease was loathsome, contagious and incurable. The leper’s cry to Jesus was very earnest. He had no doubt of Christ’s power to cure him, “You can,” but he seems uncertain regarding His willingness to do it. Instantly came the answer, “I will.” As He said this He reached out His hand and touched him. Straightaway the cure was wrought. The man was ready to go back again to his home and to take his place once more in society. Marvelous always, was the touch of Christ. It never took defilement; it was so full of health that it cleansed the utmost loathsomeness! The same touch that changed the leper’s flesh into cleanness, changes the worst lives into whiteness and wholeness.

The next act of healing was wrought on a slave. A Roman centurion had a servant who was very sick and a great sufferer. Somehow the centurion had heard of Jesus and the wonderful works he was doing, and he went to Him beseechingly and told Him of his trouble. We learn more about this soldier from seeing him at Jesus’ door. He was greatly distressed, and yet it was not his child that was sick it was only his slave. This tells us what kind of a man the centurion was he had a gentle heart. All of us are continually manifesting what we are, through the little windows of our common, unconscious acts. By the way a boy treats his dog or his pony, or birds and insects, especially by his treatment of his sisters, and by his manner toward his playmates, and toward the poor and the weak he is showing what he really is.

We see here also the immortality of good deeds. It is sweet to be remembered, long after one has passed out of life, by what one has done. It was a great while ago that this centurion went on his errand but here we find his gentle deed set down among the memorials of Christ’s own life. This deed of the centurion’s is found imbedded on a gospel page. Every good deed done in Christ’s name, is recorded in God’s books and on human lives. It is worthwhile, therefore, to train our hearts to gentle thoughts and our hands to gentle deeds.

Jesus received the Gentile soldier most graciously and said at once He would accompany him home and heal the servant. Here we have a revelation of the heart of Christ. He was quick to respond to every cry of suffering. It will greatly help us in our thoughts of Christ in heaven, to remember that He is the same now, that He was while on the earth. He is still quick to hear our prayer and respond to our requests. His heart is yet tender and full of compassion toward pain. The gospel pages are not records of what Christ was but glimpses of what He is !

Another lesson here is for ourselves. It is said that Dr. Livingstone rarely ever offered a prayer, even in his early Christian life, in which he did not plead to be made like Christ in all his imitable perfection. This should be the daily prayer of every Christian. We should seek to have Christ’s great kindness of heart. The world is full of suffering and we ought to seek in all possible ways to give comfort, relief or help. We have power to scatter happiness, to relieve distress, to give cheer and hope. We may not be able to heal diseases but we can love people in Christ’s name, and give them courage and strength to go on with their troubles and be encouraged.

But the centurion shrank now in his lowliness from having Jesus enter his home. This was true humility. We cannot truly see Christ and not be humbled. The reason we are so proud and self-conceited, is because we do not see Him. If our eyes but beheld Him in the glory and splendor of His Divinity all our vain pretensions would instantly shrivel. We should look at Christ with a long, loving gaze until a sense of His Divine greatness fills our hearts.

Another thing here to be noted, is the centurion’s conception of Christ. He thought of Him as a great Commander with all the forces of the universe under Him. The soldier knows only one duty to obey; and all these forces know only to obey Christ. Christ is the Commander of the army of the universe! The stars and planets are under Him and obey Him, all winds and tempests and all the powers of nature are subject to His sway. All diseases, all events, come and go at His word.

This ought to give us great confidence in the midst of dangers of whatever kind. Diseases and pestilence are only Christ’s soldiers. They are obedient to His will and can never transcend it not to go contrary to it. They can go only where and as far as He sends them. Death is one of His soldiers, too, and can do only His command. Why then should we dread death, since it is the obedient servant of our King? So of all events and occurrences they are but the messengers of our Master and cannot harm us. It was not necessary for Jesus to go to the centurion’s house to heal his slave. He had only to speak the word and the illness would obey Him and flee away!

The centurion’s great faith wrought a great cure. “As you have believed so be it done unto you.” Blessing depends upon faith, the measure of blessing upon the measure of faith. Little faith gets little help. We have all God’s fullness from which to draw, and there can be no limit to our receiving, save the capacity of our believing. It is because we have such small faith that the answers to our prayers are so meager.

The next case of healing was wrought in the home of one of the disciples. Jesus blesses homes. It was after a Sabbath service in the synagogue. When Jesus entered the house He found the woman lying sick with a fever. We are not told of any request for healing by any of the family. The thought seems to have been the Master’s own. He saw her sick and His heart was full of compassion. The record is very beautiful. “He touched her hand and the fever left her.” What strange power has that touch! There are other fevers besides those that burn in people’s bodies. There are fevers of the mind, of the soul. There are fevers of discontent, of passion, of ambition, of lust, of jealousy, of envy! There are fevers of anxiety, of remorse, of despair. All of these, all life’s fevers, the touch of Christ has power to heal. Let Him only touch the hot hand and the fever will flee away and quietness and peace will come!

“The fever left her; and she arose, and ministered unto Him.” She could not minister, until the fever was gone. Nor can we minister while life’s fevers are burning within us. But when the fever leaves us we at once to arise and begin to serve the Master. It would add immeasurably to our power among men and to the influence of our lives if we would always get the touch of Christ upon our hands at the beginning of each day.

One says of his mother: “My mother’s habit was, every day, immediately after breakfast, to withdraw for an hour to her own room, and to spend the time in reading the Bible, in meditation, and in prayer. From that hour, as from a pure fountain, she drew the strength and the sweetness which enabled her to fulfill all her duties, and to remain unruffled by all the worries and pettiness which are so often the intolerable trial of poor homes. As I think of her life, and of all it had to bear, I see the absolute triumph of Christian grace in the lovely ideal of a Christian woman. I never saw her temper disturbed; I never heard her speak one word of anger, or of calumny, or of idle gossip. I never observed in her any sign of a single sentiment unfitting to a soul which had drunk of the river of the water of life, and which had fed upon manna in the barren wilderness. The world is the better for the passage of such souls across its surface.”

Let other weary mothers wait each morning to get the touch of Christ before they go the day’s tasks and frets. Then the fevers of life will leave them, and they will enter upon a day of quiet peace and gentle ministry.

The closing words of our passage present a most remarkable picture. “When evening came, many who were demon-possessed were brought to him, and he drove out the spirits with a word and healed all the sick.” It would seem that there were scores healed in one hour!

[frmartinshomiliesandreflections]

16th January >> Fr. Martin's Reflections/Homilies on Today's Mass Readings for Thursday, First Week in Ordinary Time (Inc. Mark 1:40-45): ‘Of course I want to!’.

Thursday, First Week in Ordinary Time

Gospel (Except GB & USA) Mark 1:40-45 The leprosy left the man at once, and he was cured.

A leper came to Jesus and pleaded on his knees: ‘If you want to’ he said ‘you can cure me.’ Feeling sorry for him, Jesus stretched out his hand and touched him. ‘Of course I want to!’ he said. ‘Be cured!’ And the leprosy left him at once and he was cured. Jesus immediately sent him away and sternly ordered him, ‘Mind you say nothing to anyone, but go and show yourself to the priest, and make the offering for your healing prescribed by Moses as evidence of your recovery.’ The man went away, but then started talking about it freely and telling the story everywhere, so that Jesus could no longer go openly into any town, but had to stay outside in places where nobody lived. Even so, people from all around would come to him.

Gospel (GB) Mark 1:40-45 ‘The leprosy left him, and he was made clean.’

At that time: A leper came to Jesus, imploring him, and kneeling said to him, ‘If you will, you can make me clean.’ Moved with pity, he stretched out his hand and touched him and said to him, ‘I will; be clean.’ And immediately the leprosy left him, and he was made clean. And Jesus sternly charged him and sent him away at once, and said to him, ‘See that you say nothing to anyone, but go, show yourself to the priest and offer for your cleansing what Moses commanded, for a proof to them.’ But he went out and began to talk freely about it, and to spread the news, so that Jesus could no longer openly enter a town, but was out in desolate places, and people were coming to him from every quarter.

Gospel (USA) Mark 1:40-45 The leprosy left him, and he was made clean.

A leper came to him and kneeling down begged him and said, “If you wish, you can make me clean.” Moved with pity, he stretched out his hand, touched the leper, and said to him, “I do will it. Be made clean.” The leprosy left him immediately, and he was made clean. Then, warning him sternly, he dismissed him at once. Then he said to him, “See that you tell no one anything, but go, show yourself to the priest and offer for your cleansing what Moses prescribed; that will be proof for them.” The man went away and began to publicize the whole matter. He spread the report abroad so that it was impossible for Jesus to enter a town openly. He remained outside in deserted places, and people kept coming to him from everywhere.

Reflections (9)

(i) Thursday, First Week in Ordinary Time

In many of the healing stories in the gospels, Jesus heals people by means of his word alone, ‘Be healed’. In today’s gospel reading someone with the most isolating of diseases approaches Jesus. According to the Jewish Law the leper should not have approached Jesus or anyone who didn’t have leprosy. Yet, he did approach Jesus; he took a risk, breaking the Jewish Law in the process. The leper didn’t doubt Jesus’ power to heal him but he doubted Jesus' desire to heal him, ‘If you want to, you can cure me’. Most people would have run from an approaching leper. However, Jesus was different. He stood his ground and healed the leper. Remarkably, he didn’t just heal the leper with his word, as he could have, but he firstly reached out to touch the leper and only then spoke his healing word. In touching him, Jesus released him from his isolation, even before he spoke his healing word. Jesus touched the untouchable. We are being reminded that there is nothing in our lives that the Lord shies away from. There is no situation in our lives, no condition or circumstance that need be a barrier to the Lord’s healing and life-giving presence. ‘If you want to’. There is no doubting what the Lord wants. He wants us to have life and have it to the full. All he needs from us is something of the daring initiative of the leper in approaching him. If we come before the Lord today in trusting faith, nothing in our lives need come between us and the Lord’s healing presence.

And/Or

(ii) Thursday, First Week in Ordinary Time

Making choices is something that we do every day. We try to choose well, to make the best choice possible, the choice that the Lord would want us to make. We don’t always succeed in choosing well; sometimes, we make choices the Lord would not have wanted us to make. In the gospel reading, a leper comes up to Jesus and says, ‘If you want to – if you choose – you can cure me’. The leper could not presume that Jesus would choose to heal him, because lepers were not supposed to approach others; they were to keep out of the way, for fear they would contaminate others. However, in reply, Jesus said to him, ‘Of course I want to! Be cured’. Jesus chose to do what nobody else would have chosen to do; he reached out and touched the leper and, as a result, his leprosy was healed. In the gospels, Jesus is consistently portrayed as choosing to make contact with those who are broken in body, mind or spirit, and who live on the margins because of their brokenness. The risen Lord continues make those same choices; he chooses to connect with each of us in our own brokenness. He will always be a healing and life-giving presence in our lives. He asks us to be the same for each other, to make the kinds of choices that bring healing and new life to others.

And/Or

(iii) Thursday, First Week in Ordinary Time

A leper in the time of Jesus was someone who lived in places where nobody lived. Lepers lived outside the community with only each other for company. For a leper to approach Jesus for healing was a very daring thing to do; he was doing something that was forbidden. For Jesus to respond to the leper’s plea by touching him was also a very daring thing to do. Lepers were the untouchables. The leper and Jesus have something in common; they both were prepared to break with very strongly enforced convention in the search for healing and a fuller life. Jesus and the leper turn out to have something else in common as well. According to the gospel reading, because the leper started talking about his healing freely and everywhere, against Jesus wishes, Jesus himself had to stay in places where nobody lived. In other words, as a result of his healing the leper, Jesus went on to experience the isolation of the leper. Jesus gave life to others at great cost to himself. Sometimes our own service of others can take a lot out of us; we may be tempted, as a result, to pull back. However, the example of Jesus inspires us to keep serving, trusting that God will bless us because of our service, in God’s own time.

And/Or

(iv) Thursday, First Week in Ordinary Time

In this morning’s gospel reading, Jesus heals a leper. Often in the gospels Jesus heals people by means of his word. In healing the leper, however, Jesus not only spoke to him, but he touched him. In touching the leper, Jesus did what no one else would have done. For obvious reasons, people kept lepers at a distance, and lepers were expected to keep their distance from others. Jesus, however, kept no one at a distance, not even lepers. No one was beyond his reach; no one was untouchable. He came to touch our lives in a very tangible way, all of our lives, regardless of our condition. The leper wasn’t sure whether Jesus wanted to heal him, as is clear from his opening words to Jesus, ‘If you want to, you can cure me’. Jesus showed he wanted to heal him, by touching him. Jesus wants to touch all of our lives, because he wants to bring life to us all. Nothing we do or fail to do, no circumstance in which we find ourselves, need place us beyond his reach. As Paul says in his letter to the Romans, ‘nothing can come between us and the love of God made visible in Christ Jesus’. The Lord touches our lives, where we are, as we are. All we need is something of the leper’s daring initiative in approaching Jesus.

And/Or

(v) Thursday, First week in Ordinary Time

In the time of Jesus the Jewish Law strictly laid down that lepers cannot come into contact with anyone. They must live in isolation. Yet, in the gospel reading, a leper, in his desperation, dares to defy the Law. He draws near to Jesus, going down on his knees, to make his heart-felt plea, ‘If you want to, you can cure me’. The leper did not doubt Jesus’ power to heal him, but he doubted whether or not Jesus wanted to heal him. Would Jesus engage with a leper who dared to approach him in defiance of the religious Law of the time? Most people would have been angered at the approach of a leper. However, Jesus’ response to the desperate plight of this man was not one of anger, but one of compassion. Jesus’ compassion led him to do the unthinkable, what was forbidden by the Law; he touched the leper and in so doing healed him of his leprosy. Jesus’ compassion broke the boundaries that the Law sought to create. His response to the leper shows that no one is outside the reach of the Lord. Jesus is not in the business of excluding people, regardless of how they are judged by others. The Lord’s compassion knows no limits; it cannot be confined by religious Law. The gospel reading suggests that the Lord’s instinct to include overcomes all the forces that work to exclude. That message is both a reassuring word for us when we feel excluded and a challenging word when we are tempted to exclude others.

And/Or

(vi) Thursday, First Week in Ordinary Time

The gospel reading this morning reveals the power of Jesus and, at the same time, his powerlessness. His power was displayed in his healing of the leper. This was a power that was rooted in his compassion and that did not hesitate to break one of the great taboos of the ancient world, touching a leper. This was a life-giving power that was ready to disregard the most hallowed of traditions in order to heal the broken and include the excluded. Whenever we find that kind of life-giving power at work in our world today, there the risen Lord is to be found. Yet, Jesus who was so powerful in healing the man’s leprosy was immediately shown to be powerless. He asked the healed man to be silent about what happened to him. Instead the man went away and started talking about it freely and telling the story everywhere and there was nothing that Jesus could do about it. Indeed, because of the excitement the man stirred up by his story, Jesus could not go openly into any town but had to stay outside in places where nobody lived, which is what the leper had to do before his healing. The man’s refusal to do what Jesus asked had serious consequences for Jesus’ work. There is a sense in which the Lord remains powerless today before our refusal to do what he asks of us. The mystery of human freedom can continue to render Jesus powerless. He needs us to respond with a ready and open heart to his call and his will for our lives. Only then will his life-giving work continue to be done in today’s world.

And/Or

(vii) Thursday, First Week in Ordinary Time

It may strike us as strange that having healed the leper in today’s gospel reading, Jesus sternly orders him, ‘Mind you say nothing to anyone’. Apart from going to the priest in the Temple in Jerusalem, the healed man was not to tell anyone what Jesus had done for him. Why wouldn’t Jesus want everyone to know that he had performed this powerful work? Perhaps he was aware that if people came to hear of his reputation as a healer, they would start to follow him for the wrong reasons. They would follow him not for who he was in himself but for what he could do for them. Jesus was happy for whatever good he might do for someone to remain below the radar. He knew that his healing and life-giving ministry would bear its own good fruit, without it having to be trumpeted abroad. This is often how the Lord continues to work today. He works through someone in the service of others and the good that is done often remains below the radar. So much of the good that is done in the world is like that. It doesn’t become widely known. Sometimes it is only after someone dies that people become aware of all the good the person did. Yet, every act of service done out of love for someone bears its own good fruit, in the life of the one serving and the one being served, and, very often, in the lives of many other people who are impacted indirectly by this act of service. We can learn from Jesus in the gospels to be faithful to the good work the Lord may be asking us to do, without using it to promote ourselves in any way.

And/Or

(viii) Thursday, First Week in Ordinary Time

In today’s first reading, the author calls on the Christians he is addressing to ‘keep a grasp on our first confidence right to the end’. He wants them to keep the faith to the end, to endure in their living out of their faith in Christ. If this is to happen, he knows that they will need to support one another. That is why he also calls on them to ‘keep encouraging one another’. We need to encourage one another in the faith, to support what is best in each other, if our faith in the Lord, and the way of life that flows from it, is to endure to the end. We find a striking example of that ministry of encouragement in today’s gospel reading. The leper would have lived a very isolated life. Far from receiving any encouragement, he was shunned by all. He was made to feel that his physical condition, which cut him off from others, also cut him off from God. In throwing himself at the feet of Jesus, he was hoping and trusting that in Jesus he would finally find someone who would reveal to him God’s encouraging and life-giving love. His hope and trust would not be disappointed. Jesus healed him of his leprosy not only with a word but with a touch. Jesus often healed people by means of his word, ‘Be cured’, but here was someone who needed to be touched. He needed to know that God, working in Jesus, could break through his life-draining isolation. As a result of his encounter with Jesus, with God, the leper who had lived in isolation became an evangelist, telling his good news story to others, everywhere. Jesus reveals a God who always wants to break through whatever isolation in which we find ourselves. The Lord does not do social distancing; he touches us, especially when we are at our most vulnerable and isolated; he encourages us, working to build us up, to put new courage and strength into us. All we need in response is something of the trusting and hopeful faith of the leper.

And/Or

(ix) Thursday, First Week in Ordinary Time

In the time of Jesus, lepers and people experiencing extreme skin diseases suffered complete social and religious isolation. The Jewish Law declared that such a person ‘shall live alone; his dwelling shall be outside the camp’. In defiance of the Law, this leper approached Jesus. He believes that Jesus has the power to make him clean. The only question is whether Jesus wants to make him clean. Will Jesus turn aside from him like all others who do not suffer from this disease? Jesus does not only turn aside, but does the unthinkable; he stretched out his hand and touched him. We are being reminded that there is no area of our lives that the Lord cannot touch with his healing power. Those areas that may be repugnant to others and to ourselves are, for the Lord, the spaces where he can work powerfully and comfortably. Having healed him, Jesus makes one request of the leper, ‘Mind you say nothing to anyone, but go show yourself to the priest’. Jesus did not want people flocking to him purely on the basis of his healing power. He recognized the ambiguity of a popular enthusiasm for his healing work. It could put pressure on him to exercise his ministry in a way that was not in keeping with God’s will for his life. The leper did not respond to Jesus’ request. Instead, he started talking about his healing freely and telling the story everywhere. As a result, Jesus could not go openly into any town but had to stay outside in places where nobody lived. Having healed the leper who had been living in places where nobody lived, Jesus now has to live the kind of outcast existence from which he had freed the leper. Jesus’ service of others often came at great cost to himself. It is to this kind of costly service that the Lord calls all his disciples. Jesus’ costly service was ultimately supremely life-giving for himself and for others, and the same is true of whatever costly service we offer others, in response to his service of us.

Fr. Martin Hogan.

[to2llynottoby]

78

no lyrics on that one! it's Like a dream come true from the Persona 4 Reincarnation album Never More

i'll give you 77 though

Go tell John

That the dead are raised again

That the lepers now are cleansed

That the path he chose was right

Go and tell him that I truly am the light