As the eighth chapter of Matthew’s Gospel opens, Jesus has just finished the Sermon on the Mount. A number of miracles follow in order to prove the authority of his teaching. That may be, but there is much more besides.
Initially Jesus is confronted by a leper who is certainly in need of a miracle. There is still, two millennia of medical science later, no known cure for this awful disease.
I may be faced with a difficult situation in my life—a serious illness, a broken relationship, a financial crisis. Do I wait around for a miracle? Do I try to resolve the situation all by myself? There is obvious peril in either approach.
A spiritual principle urges prayer as if everything depends on God and action as if everything depends on me. I must approach Jesus with the reverence of the leper (did him homage) and must also turn it over to him (“Sir, if you will to do so …”). Such constitutes true humility which is the realization of my dependence upon God.
The age of miracles continues in the healing touch of Jesus, sometimes upon our bodies but more often upon our hearts.
Member of Creighton University Community
Since its inception in 1997, Online Ministries has been blessed to have myriad members of the Creighton University community offer their personal reflections on the daily scripture readings.
