1 John 5:5-13 / Luke 5:12-16
One thing that will drastically affect our life is our health.
As it is said, health is wealth, but certainly not vice versa. Because the fact is that wealth cannot buy health.
And if our objective in life is to accumulate wealth at the expense of our health, then there might come a time when we have to use our wealth to try to recover our health.
And we know that health-care expenses can deplete our wealth in no time, more so if it is a chronic disease.
In the gospel, leprosy was seen as a contagious chronic disease. It was progressive and the afflicted would slowly die from the disease and also die from isolation.
So for the leper who approached Jesus, he was desperate as he cried out, "Sir, if you want to, you can cure me."
Covered with leprosy and with nothing left, Jesus was his last hope. A rejection will be like an execution.
The reply of Jesus was astonishing as well as astounding when He said, "Of course I want to! Be cured!" And the leprosy left him at once.
We do not want to be a desperate near-hopeless situation to cry out to Jesus for help. In life we have enough of distress and worries to wear down our health and our wealth.
But as the 1st reading says, only the man who believes that Jesus is the Son of God can overcome the world.
Jesus believed that He is the Son of God, the Saviour who will heal us of our sins and our afflictions. Yet He would always go off to some place where He could be alone and pray.
If we truly believe that Jesus is our Saviour, we too will want to spend time with Jesus in prayer. With that we will be able to overcome our health and wealth issues.