Dearest Goddaughter (LTR-32) - I Do Will It

Dearest Goddaughter,

Fr. Doug Jeffers gave a wonderful homily this morning on today's Gospel. He said that while Jesus did not need to perform signs and wonders - like healing the leper or driving our demons or calming the seas - yet he does these things because they are a prefiguration of the Sacraments.

In other words, when the priest - in persona Christi - says the words of consecration (this is my Body. . . this is my Blood), it truly is the Body of Christ and the Blood of Christ in the Eucharist. Or when the priest says, "I absolve. . .", to a penitent, their sin is absolved by Jesus Christ through the priest. In other words, Jesus perform the signs and wonders for our benefit so that we know the word of God is Truth, and what is spoken by God happens.

Knowing this should give us great comfort because when we frequent the Sacraments of the Church, we encounter God and Christ speaks to our hearts through the minister (confession), makes us adopted sons and daughters of the Father (baptism), gives us his Spirit (confirmation), heals us through His created things (i.e., oil of the sick), nourishes and strengthens us with his Body and Blood (in the Eucharist), and helps us to live lives of holiness (sacraments of marriage and holy orders). How blessed are we to have the Sacraments!

Therefore, let us be like the leper in today's Gospel and come to Jesus with trust and confidence and say to him: "If you wish, you can make me [insert your prayer]." Then, listen to God respond to you, saying: "I do will it."

Love,

Bỏ Phúc

P.S. These are the readings for the day: 1 Sm 4:1-11 and Mk 1:40-45 (below).

. . .

A leper came to him and kneeling down begged him and said,

“If you wish, you can make me clean.”

Moved with pity, he stretched out his hand,

touched the leper, and said to him, 

“I do will it. Be made clean.”

The leprosy left him immediately, and he was made clean.

Then, warning him sternly, he dismissed him at once.

Then he said to him, “See that you tell no one anything,

but go, show yourself to the priest

and offer for your cleansing what Moses prescribed;

that will be proof for them.”

The man went away and began to publicize the whole matter.

He spread the report abroad

so that it was impossible for Jesus to enter a town openly.

He remained outside in deserted places,

and people kept coming to him from everywhere.