January 7: Friday after Epiphany
1 John 5:5-13 / Luke 5:12-16
After Jesus' baptism in water, a voice from heaven testified, “You are my own dear Son." Mark 1:11 After Jesus' death in blood on the cross, a Roman officer was moved to testify, “This man was really the Son of God!” After Jesus' ascension to the Father, the Spirit descended on Pentecost and formed the frightened followers of Jesus into the Body of Christ, the Church. (John20:19) The waters of baptism, the blood of the cross, and the Spirit on Pentecost all testify to the divine sonship of Jesus.
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What is there about Jesus that makes us look at him and say, “This man was really the Son of God”? Jesus "shows you stars you never saw before.” Alfred Lord Tennyson
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What John says in his letter about faith in Jesus is exemplified in the gospel. Faith consists in believing in Jesus Christ, “who came by water and blood”; when he was baptized in the waters of the Jordan, he was proclaimed Son of God; by shedding his blood on the cross, he accomplished his mission. This Jesus has eternal life. By believing in him, we encounter him as a person and share in his life.
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The leper believes in him: “You can cure me,” he says. Jesus restores the man’s health and thus manifests once more that God’s power and life is in him.
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The feast of the Epiphany celebrates the revelation of the birth of Christ to the whole world. The Magi, or the wise men, came to pay homage to the new born king of the Jews with gifts of mystical meaning - gold to symbolize royalty; frankincense to symbolize divinity and myrrh to symbolize humanity. In the days after the feast of Epiphany, the readings at Mass continue to expound on the revelation of the identity and mission of Jesus. Over the week, we have heard Jesus had power over substance - there was the multiplication of the five loaves and two fish to feed five thousand men. Jesus also had power over nature when He calmed the rough sea and the strong winds.
In today's gospel, we see Jesus having power over illness and disease, and in this case it was the dreaded leprosy. Jesus is our Saviour and Healer. He came to heal us of our illness and infirmities. He wants to make us whole so that we can radiate the glory of God. Yet we must open ourselves to His love and healing grace. One of the areas in our lives is that of forgiveness. We need to be forgiven and healed so that we in turn can be able to forgive and let others be healed. When we are able to forgive others and heal them with the love that God has loved us with, we reveal God to others.
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Prayer
Lord God of life, we believe with all that is in us that Jesus is your Son and our Savior. He can heal us from the leprosy of sin and give us a share in the fullness of his life. Deepen our faith in him and let it change our lives. Let us encounter your Son from person to person, that he may live in us and that we may bear witness that he is our Lord and Savior, who lives with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever. Amen
