Friday of Week 12 in Ordinary Time (Year A)
Genesis 17:1,9-10,15-22 | Psalm 127(128):1-5 | Matthew 8:1-4
‘Sir,’ he said ‘if you want to, you can cure me.’ (Matthew 8:2)
If we want to, we can follow Jesus in deed, and not just in word.
If we want to, we can center our lives around Him, instead of giving Him only an hour of fidgeting and inattention every Sunday.
If we want to, we can feel His presence in others, especially those who quietly suffer the indignity of serving others who return nothing but scorn and ill-treatment.
Jesus stretched out his hand, touched him and said, ‘Of course I want to! Be cured!’ (Matthew 8:3)
But do we want to?
Or would we rather bask in the glow of knowing that we’re better off than the others around us?
Lord God, You gave us the precious gift of free will, which we then twisted into dark mastery over our fellow human beings. You know we can do better, if we want to.
Give us the burning desire to want to do better. Open our eyes to see the hurt we cause others, open our hearts to their suffering, and move our hands to make good all that was done in prideful sin.
Amen.