Friday – 12th Week in Ordinary Time

Gospel – Matthew 8:1-4

Father Knows Best

Chapel at Magdala

At some point in our lives, we have probably had that unfortunate experience of wanting something a bit too much.  Maybe it was a toy, a new bike, fancy sneakers, whatever.  And we were willing to do anything to get it – even throw a nice little tantrum in public to get our point across. I did that once for a bright red sweater that I thought I just had to have. And I sulked and pouted in the store until I got what I wanted.  Not very proud of that!  In the end, I probably only wore that sweater a couple of times before I got tired of it.

In today’s Gospel, we have a leper who only wants one thing – to be cured.  But his approach is not that of a little kid.  First of all, He approaches Jesus!  Jesus performs a lot of miracles in the Gospels but, the majority of the time, it is Jesus approaching the afflicted person.  And yet here it is the leper who approaches Jesus.  He is an outcast, shunned by the people, expected to keep his distance. Imagine the courage and faith involved for him to go to Jesus in public.  Imagine the humility in recognizing his own suffering and asking for help.

But it’s what happens next that really sets this miracle apart.  He simply and calmly does 2 things.  He first pays homage to Jesus; He worships Him and acknowledges Him as Lord.  And then he simply says “If it is Your will, You can make me clean.”  He doesn’t demand that Jesus cure him.  He doesn’t beg for it to happen.  He doesn’t cause a scene just to get what he wants.  It is a simple request acknowledging that Jesus is Lord and that His will is greater than anything.  It is a recognition that, as much as he would like to be cured, he leaves it all in the hands of God. He sees that Father Knows Best!  That is real prayer!

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