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Reflections of Family and Faith
"The family that prays together stays together." - Venerable Patrick Peyton
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As I reflected on today’s readings and Father Peyton's life, I was drawn to Luke’s account of Jesus’ healing through both word and touch. St. Luke, who had a medical background, describes the man who approached Jesus as being “full of leprosy.” This detail tells us that the man suffered not only physically, but also emotionally and spiritually. In that time, leprosy rendered a person ritually unclean, cutting him off from family, community, and worship. He was expected to live apart, carrying the weight of isolation and rejection. Unlike everyone else, Jesus is not afraid to draw near. Filled with the Holy Spirit, He reaches out and touches the man. Though ostracized and suffering, the man believes that Jesus can heal him both physically and ritually, and so he cries out in faith, “If you wish, you can make me clean.” Jesus responds with compassion and authority: “I do will it. Be made clean.” Immediately, the leprosy leaves him.
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Thomas Merton, a great Trappist monk, is one of those people whose life exemplifies how a seemingly isolated monastic existence could still become powerful for global connection and spiritual insight. He embodied the idea that deep contemplation could lead to profound engagement with the world’s struggles, rather than withdrawal from them. Through his spiritual insights, shared from his monastic setting, he influenced many spiritual seekers worldwide. He highlighted that true spiritual life involves connecting with God through our daily experiences, rather than separating from the world. In today’s Gospel reading, we have Jesus who had spent time preaching and feeding the crowds, sending his disciples off across the Lake while he took some time to pray, to be in communion with God the Father. No sooner had the disciples set off than a turbulent storm struck the sea of Galilee. They were gripped with fear for their lives despite being experienced fishermen. For Jesus, although he was not with them in the boat, he nonetheless was aware of their struggles. Prayer did not remove him from the disciples. While in prayer, he perceived their trouble and decided to come to their rescue.
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As we are still in the Christmas Season, it is necessary to continue contemplating and understanding the mystery of the incarnation and nativity of Emmanuel. To understand this, we need to dig deeper into the mystery of Christology. The question is, who is Jesus? Both the first reading and the Gospel throw light on this. In my reflection, I will focus more on the First Reading. The first letter of John, as we have heard, begins with a question. Who is a liar?
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As we approach the final days before our celebration of Christmas, we are reminded once again of the many ways that God has been sending messages and messengers to us in advance of his coming among us as a man. Time and again, different prophets spoke to us of God’s concern and compassion for his people, assuring them that he walked with them. We were given an example of one such prophet today in the person of Malachi, whom God sent to assure people that He would send a messenger to prepare their hearts, restore relationships, and turn them back to God. The messenger God is sending would not simply announce news; he would shape hearts. In Luke’s gospel today, the prophecies of God took flesh in the birth of John the Baptist. We heard the neighbors who asked, “What will this child be?” The answer was clear: John is the messenger that Malachi spoke of. John’s very name, God is gracious - announces the new area of salvation. His life becomes a bridge between the old and the new. John is the one who calls people back to God, reconciles hearts, points away from himself and towards Jesus, lives simply, boldly, and faithfully.
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Today's readings present a miraculous conception of two famous people in the history of the Israelite. These are Samson and John the Baptist. They carry similarity connected to their mission as announced by an Angel. They are both to be Nazirites from birth, abstaining from wine and strong drink, their mothers were barren initially and both have a mission of participating in the mission of God’s working among his people.
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Holy lives of inspiration | Immaculate Conception | Learn more about our faith
In difficult situations, dilemmas, quest between the truth and Charity sometimes we seek justification. We quickly identify the wrong, and the betrayal; we are cornered by pain. We seek relief by exposing that individual who has failed us. The world will clap for us! Pope Francis in his Apostolic letter Patris Cordis (With Father’s Love) says that often in life, things happen whose meaning we do not understand. Our first reaction is frequently one of disappointment and rebellion. "Joseph set aside his ideas in order to accept the course of events and, mysterious as they seemed, to embrace them, take responsibility for them and make them part of his history." — Patris Cordis, Apostolic letter by Pope Francis (150th anniversary of the proclamation of St. Joseph as patron of the universal church)
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