My Ignatius Study Bible and the “Gospels in a Year” adventure at Flocknote are exciting tools to help me know the Lord all the better. If you aren’t signed up yet, try it out. I’m loving it.
Jesus Cleanses the Leper
Some weeks back our study for the day was Matthew 8:1-13. I wanted to write about it then but didn’t get to it. Then the same passages came up for the Gospel of the Third Sunday after Epiphany a couple of weeks ago and again, the story kept tugging at me. The image of the leper is so touching I can’t get it out of my mind, as he is the symbol of the sin-sick soul we hear about in the beautiful American Spiritual, “There is a Balm in Gilead”. This is a beautiful tale of faith.
Matthew 8:1: When he came down from the mountain, great crowds followed Him.Jesus always withdrew to the high place, a mountain, to pray to His Father. Mountains symbolize the dwelling place of God. This is where Moses and the prophets often conversed with God, and where God gave commands and instructions to them. After dealing with the crowds, Jesus went to the heights for peace and quiet and to “recharge his batteries” if you will. Our mountains are the quiet places we go when we want to pray – the Adoration chapel or church, the home altar, a chair in the back yard, on the porch, or on the balcony, a peaceful place in the woods, anywhere we can be alone with God. Before we undertake any great work, a conversation with the Father will give us strength just as it did Christ.
Continue reading at Barbara's blog Suffering With Joy.
