LIVE IT TODAY: Friday, January 9, 2026
I am not repelled by your wounds. I come close, I touch, and I restore.
LIVE IT TODAY: Friday, January 9, 2026
A GREAT WAY TO BEGIN TODAY!
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GOD’S DECLARATION TO YOU TODAY
I am not repelled by your wounds. I come close, I touch, and I restore.
INVOCATION
Come, Holy Spirit! Through the intercession of Our Blessed Mother Mary, open my heart to hear and receive all that You desire for me. Draw me ever more deeply into the Love and Life of the Blessed Trinity!
GOSPEL | Luke 5:12–16
It happened that there was a man full of leprosy in one of the towns where Jesus was;
and when he saw Jesus,
he fell prostrate, pleaded with him, and said,
“Lord, if you wish, you can make me clean.”
Jesus stretched out his hand, touched him, and said,
“I do will it. Be made clean.”
And the leprosy left him immediately.
Then he ordered him not to tell anyone, but
“Go, show yourself to the priest and offer for your cleansing
what Moses prescribed; that will be proof for them.”
The report about him spread all the more,
and great crowds assembled to listen to him
and to be cured of their ailments,
but he would withdraw to deserted places to pray.
EVERY DAY QUESTION
What struck you? Challenged you? Inspired you? What questions did it raise?
GOING DEEPER
Jesus heals not from a distance, but through merciful contact.
Leprosy in the ancient world was more than a disease—it was a sentence of exclusion. The afflicted were cut off from worship, family, and community. To be “unclean” was to live without touch, without voice, without belonging. Yet the leper in this Gospel dares to draw near. His words are simple and profound: “If you wish, you can make me clean.” He does not doubt Jesus’ power—only His will.
Jesus’ response overturns every expectation. He stretches out His hand and touches him. This is the moment of scandal and revelation. According to the Law, contact with the unclean defiles. But in Christ, holiness flows outward. Purity is not fragile; mercy is stronger than contamination.
The Greek word for clean, katharizō, means not merely healed but restored—made fit again for communion. Jesus does not just remove symptoms; He reclaims the man’s place among God’s people. Healing here is relational before it is physical.
Jesus then sends the man to the priest, honoring the Law even as He fulfills it. Mercy does not abolish order; it perfects it. Yet Jesus Himself withdraws to deserted places to pray. Power flows from intimacy with the Father. Compassion without prayer becomes depletion; prayer roots mercy in divine strength.
This Gospel speaks deeply into family life. We all carry wounds—some visible, many hidden. The temptation is to isolate, to manage appearances, or to believe we must be “clean enough” before approaching God or one another. Jesus reveals the opposite: healing begins when we allow ourselves to be seen and touched.
We parents are called to mirror Christ’s courage. To draw near to the brokenness in our homes. To listen without recoil. To bless without conditions. And to pray—not as an afterthought, but as the source of our ability to love well.
“Moved by mercy, Christ heals the sick and forgives sinners.” (CCC 1503)
LIFE APPLICATION QUESTIONS
In My Heart: Where am I afraid to bring my wounds honestly before Jesus?
In My Home: How can our family become a place where no one feels untouchable or unseen?
In My World: Who might need the healing presence of Christ through my compassion today?
FAMILY LIVE IT
Make some time today to gather together and, going around, share one area where each person desires healing—physical, emotional, or spiritual.
Then, one by one, pray over each person by name, asking Jesus to draw near, to cleanse what is wounded, to free them from shame and fear, and to restore them fully in His love.
Daily Challenge:
Reach out today—by word, gesture, or presence—to someone who may feel isolated or overlooked.
DAILY PARENT & GRANDPARENT BLESSING
LORD JESUS CHRIST, let Your holy anointing be upon each of our children, grandchildren, and godchildren this day and week, including all to whom they are called in vocation, and all future generations! In Your Sacred Name we claim them for You! We renounce all whispers, lies, and influences of the Enemy! We pray right now that each know Your loving Presence, be forged in virtue, and be flooded with an abundance of Your Holy Spirit to live fully their identity and mission in You now and through all eternity, through the intercession of our Blessed Mother! Amen.
PARENT BLESSING PROJECT: bit.ly/ParentBlessing
GOING VERTICAL
“Be still and know that I am God.” Psalm 46:10
Just as the vertical beam upholds the horizontal beam of the Cross, so too does undistracted, dedicated daily turning to God as our lifeblood uphold and strengthen every part of life. Start with just three minutes. Wait patiently for the breakthrough beyond the noise. Let Him speak.
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For the past year or so, I've been deliberately stretching my mind with all the various Mass readings dealing with "exclusion" and "marginalization." I've been consciously trying to identify those who I MYSELF am marginalizing or have marginalized. The lepers and the grace with which Jesus, Saint Francis, Saint Teresa of Calcutta and so many others have reached out--as you point out--is central to our faith. As you say, Greg, while we Christians MAY heal at a distance (God bless the thousands in cloisters who pray continually and necessarily at a distance), it's the in-touch personal ministry that's so essential. Sadly, our modern society tends to equate "the marginalized" to modern day obvious "lepers," demographically identifiable persons, ZIP codes, skin colors, and those who are eligible for some formal governmental program. In the process, we tend to get conditioned NOT to examine our own consciences and don't even recognize the ones we, personally, "wouldn't sit with in the cafeteria," or "wouldn't want to be associated with." I wrote about this last fall (https://faithconnections.substack.com/p/who-are-the-leasts-among-us), and I'm still praying about it. Thanks for this meditation, Greg!