Cleansing Faith

“Naaman went down and plunged into the Jordan seven times at the word of Elisha, the man of God.
His flesh became again like the flesh of a little child,
and he was clean of his leprosy.”

2 Kings 5:14

As Jesus was traveling to Jerusalem, ten lepers approached Him. What do you think they said to Jesus? Probably, “Please heal us of our leprosy!” right? But that was not what they said. Instead, the exclaimed, “Jesus, Master! Have pity on us!” This group of lepers likely consisted of both Galileans and Samaritans, yet they called out to Jesus as their Master. This would have been a very big step for the Samaritans “for Jews use nothing in common with Samaritans” (John 4:9b). In fact, the Samaritans strongly disliked the Jews for what they did to them in the past, including destroying their temple! So, for the Samaritan leper to not only reach out to Jesus, but also to call Him Master was unthinkable. Even non-Jews acknowledged Jesus as Master and Lord, and it was this faith that cleansed them.

The cleansing and saving power of Jesus is not limited to only a select group of people. It is extended to all who calls upon Him, all who reaches out to Him, and all who puts their faith in Him. Just as we hear about Naaman, the servant of a foreign king, who at the word of the Prophet Elisha, bathed in the water and was cleansed of his leprosy, so too the lepers who approached Jesus were cleansed as they ran to the priest at His command. In the same way, we too may be healed from whatever is plaguing us if we believe that Jesus and His love for us.

Is there something that is weighing on you that is keeping you from approaching God? What is the leprosy that is eating away at you? Look up and call out to the Lord, “Jesus, Master! Have pity on me!” knowing that He hears you and looks at you with love and compassion, and desires only to heal you. But, He cannot unless you allow Him to and welcome Him into your heart. May we ask for the faith that moved Naaman and the Samaritan leper to call out to God because when we do, and when we truly believe, that faith will become a faith that cleanses us and sets us free.

Status of Faith

“The apostles said to the Lord, ‘Increase our faith.’
The Lord replied,
‘If you have faith the size of a mustard seed,
you would say to this mulberry tree,
'Be uprooted and planted in the sea,' and it would obey you.’”

Luke 17:5-6

How would you describe your faith? Would your answer include answers such as “strong” or “weak?” Or would they include some other adjectives or phrases? In my own experience, most people would describe their faith with an answer somewhere on the spectrum of strong and weak. Some may also describe their faith with either “having a lot of faith” or "having a little bit of faith.” The truth is faith is not necessarily something that can be really quantified. There may be more of a qualitative component, but faith is something that goes beyond what is quantitative or qualitative. Faith is something that is deep within the recesses of our hearts, a response that calls out from the depths of our hearts to the Voice that constantly calls out to us.

Along the way, the Apostles asked Jesus to “increase their faith” to which Jesus replied if they were to have faith the size of a mustard seed, even the mulberry tree would obey them. It is not the size of one’s faith that matters, but rather how one cultivates and nurtures it. Like a muscle that is already in our bodies, we do not really “add muscles” but rather we strengthen and grow our muscles through training and exercise. Faith can not really be “added” but only “strengthened” through prayer and exercise of our faith.

So, what is the status of your faith? Has it been exercised lately? Has it been nurtured? Again, we can nurture our faith by praying, talking with God and allowing Him to speak to us. We can exercise our faith by allowing prayer to move us to works of service and mercy. Do we feed the hungry, give drink to the thirsty, clothe the naked, visit the imprisoned, encounter the homeless, and comfort the grieving? Do we share the Good News with others?

May we take some time today to examine the status of our faith and ask the Lord not to increase our faith, but rather to give us the grace and strength to practice and nurture our faith.

Experiencing the Good

“Abraham replied,
'My child, remember that you received what was good during your lifetime while Lazarus likewise received what was bad;
but now he is comforted here, whereas you are tormented.’”

Luke 16:25

Last Sunday we heard the parable of the dishonest steward who was asked to prepare an account of his stewardship and acted prudently to ensure that life after being dismissed from his master would not be as difficult by being “generous” to his master’s debtors. Jesus also told His disciples that no servant can serve two masters and that we cannot serve both “God and mammon,” encouraging us to set our eyes on what is above. This Sunday we read the story between the rich man and poor Lazarus.

When both Lazarus and the rich man dies, there is a dialog between Abraham and the rich man. The rich man is being tormented while Lazarus is being comforted. Abraham told the rich man to remember the good things he has received in his life and see how he is being tormented now and vice versa for Lazarus. Is Abraham saying that if we live comfortably in this life we will suffer in the next? No. Not if we live with our eyes set on God.

It is not the fact that because the rich man enjoyed great wealth and treasure while he was alive that he is being tormented in the life that is to come. He is experiencing pain and torment because of the decisions he made while he was alive. There is nothing wrong with being rich. In fact, God wants us to enjoy the gifts of this world as they were intended and to be fully alive, but not to the neglect of others. This brings us back to last week’s readings. We must be good stewards. If God blesses us with great treasure, should we not use it wisely, sharing them with those who are less fortunate? God wants us to experience the good of this life, but not only that, He also wants us to experience the good of the life to come. The Good News is that we can have both! But how we experience the good in this life will affect how we may come to experience the good of the next.

Will we experience the good in this life while sharing it with others or will we choose to experience it selfishly? Let us remember that whatever good we may come to experience in this life is a gift, and gifts are meant to be given. May we give thanks to God for the good we have received in this life, and may we ask for the grace to use it wisely.