Friday after Epiphany
Today’s Gospel story from Luke tells of Jesus healing a leper. It is profound, miraculous, and joyful. The courage of the leper to approach Jesus, the great compassion and love Jesus shows, and the impact of the miracle (“great crowds assembled”) are all noteworthy and insightful. Twice in the same day, in two completely different places and contexts, I read the words, “hope is an action.” Luke describes how the leper saw Jesus, fell prostrate, and pleaded with him. These actions are manifestations of the leper’s hope. He hoped for a better life for himself and took action to make it happen. If we, as disciples, are truly people of hope, we must also be people of action. We can take action to advocate for our own needs and the needs of those around us.
Thinking of action, Jesus takes two very striking actions in today’s story. First, he stretches out his hand to touch and heal the leper. Then, the last line of the Gospel states that Jesus would “withdraw to deserted places to pray.” (Lk 5:16) Sometimes that action of withdrawal is the action we need to take for both ourselves and others. What would it mean for us to truly withdraw, especially in today’s world of constant communication and news at your fingertips? Is going to a deserted place possible? Putting our phones on vibrate, turning off technology, looking away from social media, and sitting in silence are good first steps toward withdrawing. But then what? What do you find helpful when you need to center yourself and pray? As a mom of four young kids, I can barely go to the bathroom in privacy let alone find a deserted place to pray, but there are times when I can string together a few minutes to take a deep breath and hold the moment.
As we go through our day, where do we find peace? How can we encourage others to also withdraw for a moment to pray? Who do we see in deserted places, withdrawn perhaps involuntarily? I continue to see headlines about the mental health crisis among children and young adults. Perhaps there is a sense that, despite the possibility of constant digital connection, they find themselves in a desert place. Jesus seems to navigate seamlessly from large crowds to deserted places to personal interactions with individuals that are deeply meaningful. How can we do the same? Perhaps we can stay in a deserted place long enough to pray and increase our awareness so that we can then have hope and act on that hope to offer our own testimony, glorifying the Lord through our lives.
Peace,
LeeAnn Meyer