He Saw Jesus

He Saw Jesus

Friday after Epiphany

Piety

Beloved: Who indeed is the victor over the world but the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God? 1 John 5:5

It happened that there was a man full of leprosy in one of the towns where Jesus was; and when he saw Jesus, he fell prostrate, pleaded with him, and said, “Lord, if you wish, you can make me clean.” Jesus stretched out his hand, touched him, and said, “I do will it.  Be made clean.” And the leprosy left him immediately.  Luke 5:12-13

Study

This Epiphany week, we continue to get stories about Encounters with Jesus. The Christ-child and the Christ-man draw people in and the encounters change them.  This week in the readings, we have heard and read about the stories of the Persian astrologers who wandered crossed the desert to the wonders of the baby through the man full of leprosy who fell on his knees before Jesus. 

Backing up to the First Reading, “Who indeed is the victor over the world but the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?”  The accounts we read in the Bible are the accounts of people who had direct contact with Jesus.  John’s letter holds out hope for us to have such a direct encounter as well.

How? Through our encounters aided by the Holy Spirit. 

This is the one who came through water and Blood, Jesus Christ,

not by water alone, but by water and Blood.

The Spirit is the one who testifies,

and the Spirit is truth.

So there are three who testify,

the Spirit, the water, and the Blood,

and the three are of one accord.

Action

We can see Jesus in the people who need help.  These days, the stories of disasters that clamor for our attention stretch from Puerto Rico to the fire victims in Australia. 

To get desperately needed help straight to Puerto Rico after back-to-back earthquakes registering as high as magnitude 5.8 and 6.4, Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of New York is working directly with its long-time partner organizations Comité Noviembre, Caritas, and The New York Foundling to aid the people living on the southern coast of Puerto Rico in and around the Ponce region.

Over 400 people have been forced to evacuate from the area and are living in makeshift tent shelters in a large parking lot. Over 32 houses collapsed, over 100 apartments are uninhabitable, and hundreds of other homes are now uninhabitable. Many of the area schools and churches also suffered severe damage. Currently, there are reports that more than 300,000 customers are without water and there is no power in the region. Much of the earthquake damage was in the southern coastal area, from Ponce to the west, including Yauco, Guayanilla, Lajas, and Guánica.

Consider giving support through your local diocesan Catholic Charities or working through the connections in New York.

https://catholiccharitiesny.org/news/earthquake-aid-catholic-charities-responds-call-help-puerto-rico?utm_content=buffer5bdcc&utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook.com&utm_campaign=buffer&fbclid=IwAR2HiGSn_5a9j01pOW1S9J1hUaqey44d0_BhG4GEuIERpwe3bRvhVI_YAGE