Friday of the Twelfth Week in Ordinary Time
It is worth reading the Gospel and replacing the word “leper” with our own name. All of us suffer from some sort of spiritual or moral leprosy. It isn’t a very palatable image, but I think it will help us bring about the ideal disposition of our hearts to encounter God.
“And then a leper approached, did him homage”—‘homage:’ special honor or respect shown publicly. In St. Benedict’s chapter entitled, “Reverence in Prayer,” he writes: “Whenever we want to ask some favor of a powerful man, we do it humbly and respectfully, for fear of presumption. How much more important, then, to lay our petitions before the Lord God of all things with the utmost humility and sincere devotion.” When we approach God with reverence, praise, and gratitude we bring honor to His Holy Name, but it also becomes an expression of our deep faith. We approach God because we believe that what we ask, the Lord can bring about.
I encourage you to take a few minutes in quiet reflection to consider these questions. What is it that you truly want to ask from God? It might be a long list of requests that you bring in prayer, but I am asking what you really want from God—what is your deepest desire? Try to express it concisely. Then, do you believe that God can bring that about? The leper said, “Lord, if you wish, you can make me clean.”
Reflection by Fr. Paul Sheller, OSB
Posted in Articles for Ordinary Time, Daily Reflections