DAILY HOMILIES #leper

The psalmist sings: “Let my tongue cleave to my mouth if I remember you not.” The question is – why did they forget God in the first place? Why did they worship false gods? Like the Israelites, we are fond of asking, “Where is God?” in crisis, but while enjoying peace and success, we say: “Who is God?”

From a spiritual perspective, we may define leprosy as a sin, given that it is not only deadly but also highly contagious. Hence, Jesus warned: "Temptations to sin are sure to come; but woe to him by whom they come!"

While prayer requires the will of God to work, magic entirely depends on the magician. Magic is all about performance; it is a show for the glory of the magician. On the other hand, prayer requires prostrating ourselves before God; it involves bending the knee, bowing, and begging God, and it is always to the glory of God.

While the leper believed God could do anything, Abraham fell on his face and laughed when God told him that his wife Sarai would have a child. Abraham thought that God had already done his best with Ishmael. Like Abraham, we sometimes look at our external condition and assume what we have now is the best God can ever do. As long as we believe it, there is no limit to what we can achieve. Never doubt the power of God.

To be merciful is to have a heart of pity for others, a heart that feels the pain of others, a heart that wants to see them well again, strong, healthy and back to the light. In today’s Gospel passage, Jesus, “moved with pity” stretched out his hand and touched a leper. Jesus didn’t have a hardened heart. The book of Hebrews admonishes us: “Today, when you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts… take care; brethren lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart.” (Hebrews 3:8-13).

Due to Elisha’s refusal to accept the gifts, Naaman received two miracles; the miracle of the skin and the miracle of the soul (conversion, wholeness). This is what God desires of us, that we worship in spirit and truth. Even if you have nothing to offer, no money to put in an envelope, know that the thanksgiving God is interested in is your repentance from sin.

While the leper believed that God was capable of doing anything, Abraham fell on his face and laughed when God told him that his wife Sarai would have a child.

sin is worse than Leprosy and must be treated as such. Leprosy was such a dreaded disease that it was seen as a curse; a disease that only God could cure. In the same way, we must never joke with sin but avoid it all cost. It is true that only God can cure us of our sinfulness but we must first hate sin so much as to break off from our comfort zones to present ourselves to Jesus with complete faith and trust.

It is bad enough that despite our efforts, we still fall but nothing can be more terrible than our refusal to get back on our feet when we fall.

Every devotional activity requires a large dose of faith. If you must pray or obey the laws of the church (as Jesus instructed the leper to do), then you must first believe that God exists and that even if you can’t see Him physically, God is in his ministers.