COLLECT: “GRANT, WE ASK, ALMIGHTY GOD, THAT THE NATIVITY OF THE SAVIOR OF THE WORLD, MADE KNOWN BY THE GUIDANCE OF THE STAR, MAY BE REVEALED EVER MORE FULLY TO OUR MINDS. THROUGH OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST, YOUR SON, WHO LIVES AND REIGNS WITH YOU IN THE UNITY OF THE HOLY SPIRIT, GOD, FOR EVER AND EVER. AMEN”.
1Jn 5:5-13; Ps 147:12-15,19-20 and Lk 5:12-16.
All believers or Christians are soldiers of Jesus Christ, fighting for the Lord. We are so to speak, in a battle front against the prince of this world, Satan, and Jesus Christ is our Commander in Chief with the Holy Spirit as the Field Marshal in this battle – The Church Militant.
The prince of this world reveals himself and attacks us sometimes, through unbelief, temptations, sicknesses, diseases and illness leading to death. Sometimes it uses fellow human beings as his disciples to fight believers and to inflict pain and suffering on people. While some of the attacks from Satan cause us physical ailments, others cause us mental, psychological and emotional ailments, which we have to fight against.
We can only win this battle if we believe in Jesus Christ as the Son of God. We can win the battle against Satan if we see Jesus as our Commander in this battle, who has conquered the world and its prince, Satan. The evidence of believing in Jesus as the Son of God leading to a win in our battle against the world is the cure of the man with leprosy in the passage from Luke.
In his frustration, the leprous man called out to Jesus as his last ray of hope of being healed. He was healed for his deep trust and profound faith in the power of the Lord. By touching him and healing him, the Lord restored both the man’s physical health and his emotional or mental health. His human dignity was now restored in the community.
Jesus Christ indeed, is our divine healer. He is our refuge and our solace in our sufferings and in our problems and challenges in this world. He brings good news to the afflicted and proclaims liberty to the captives. He gives sight to the blind and sets free those who are oppressed. He brings God’s favours to us.
All he needs from us to do all these things for us is deep and profound trust and faith in him. The leprous man received his favour from Jesus because he deeply and firmly trusted and believed in Jesus. Do I also have such trust and faith in God? As soldiers of Christ, fighting with him against Satan in this world, we are in a way commissioned by the Lord to do what he did when he was on earth, and continues to do for us in heaven. We are to bring healing, physical, mental, psychological and emotional healing to humanity who suffers in one way or another in this world. Stay blessed.
WE MEDITATE TODAY, FRIDAY, ON THE SORROWFUL MYSTERIES: ‘THE AGONY IN THE GARDEN, THE SCOURGING AT THE PILLAR, THE CROWNING WITH THORNS, THE CARRYING OF THE CROSS AND THE CRUCIFIXION’ (WE PRAY FOR SORROW FOR SIN, PURITY, COURAGE, PATIENCE, AND PERSEVERANCE) “Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with you, blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb Jesus: Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us, sinners, now and the hour of our death, Amen”.
PRAYER: “O GOD, WHO TOUCHED US THROUGH OUR PARTAKING OF YOUR SACRAMENT. WORK, WE PRAY, THE EFFECTS OF ITS POWER IN OUR HEARTS, THAT WE MAY BE MADE FIT TO RECEIVE YOUR GIFTS THROUGH THIS VERY GIFT ITSELF. THROUGH CHRIST OUR LORD. AMEN”.
Rev. Fr. Aloysius Kpiebaya, Catholic Diocese of Wa, UW/R, Ghana. (00233) 0207867239/0545462863. Email: aloybaya20@yahoo.com
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