Thursday, January 6, 2011

Friday after Epiphany, 07-01-11

1 John 5:5-13 / Luke 5:12-16

Epiphany comes from a Greek word which means the sudden realization or comprehension of the (larger) essence or meaning of something.

In Church terms, it means that God reveals to us a mystery, and the feast of Epiphany means that Jesus is revealed to the world as its Saviour.

Jesus in turn reveals to us the mystery of our lives.

As we come face to face with the evil and sufferings of the world, as well as the illnesses and pains of our own lives, Jesus reveals Himself to us as our Healer.

In the gospel, we heard of how Jesus healed a leper.

But more than that, Jesus is also telling us that He wants to heal our spirit.

Amidst the noisiness and turbulence of this world, we need rest for our tired and worried hearts.

Jesus showed us that in the midst of His very busy mission, He would always go off to some place where He could be alone and pray.

He Himself needed rest for His tired body and a prayerful silence in which He discerned His Father's will.

This is also the revelation for us - we need ample rest in order to live and function properly as human beings.

We also need to be alone with God in prayer just as Jesus did.

Only then will we comprehend the mystery of our lives and the mystery of God's love for us