Friday, January 11, 2019 – Loving the Leper

If there was one thing you might say people wanted from the man Jesus, you would likely say that they wanted healing from him. The New Testament is full of stories of individuals who sought Jesus out for physical, emotional and spiritual healing. There was something very special about this Jesus person. All over the region crowds flocked to hear him speak and reveal the Truth. Yes, people needed healing from their physical, emotional and spiritual ills. That type of healing can only be found in the one who gives life – God.

Today’s Need for Healing

Today’s world carries the same needs, we cry out for physical, emotional, and spiritual healing. Our hearts yearn for true healing and we still desire to live a full, happy life. Mankind is as in desperate need of Jesus’ healing today as it was back then. I believe that people today wish to be made “clean” – like the leper in today’s Gospel. They wish to be brought back into their family, back into their community, and back to health. And most of all, they wish to love and be loved in return.

This is where we often find ourselves at a crossroad. Internally we want to be healed, we want to love, and we want to be loved. However, all too often we go about this all on our own. One look at the “Self-Help” section at the bookstore and this becomes obvious. The shelves are full of 5-step, 7-step, or 10-step programs promised to give you happiness. While we may have the best of intentions, and we may even have good follow-through when we seek self-healing, we will fall short of true healing if we don’t turn to the source of life for healing. It’s not that the self-help books are ineffective. Rather, they can be useful tools when we seek God first. But we must seek God first if we want the fullness of healing he has for us.

God is Always Bigger

We have healing available to us beyond our wildest imagination. Because after all, God is bigger than our imagination. Healing can be spontaneous like the leper experienced. Or, healing can appear to remain mysteriously absent. Before God will work in our lives we need to develop a friendship with him, a real relationship. The God will bring forth the healing our soul most needs – and sometimes that is not what our human mind desires. God is bigger than the human mind.

We don’t read about the leper’s prayer life in today’s Gospel. However, we do know that he had total trust in Jesus. My guess is that this leper already had a strong faith in God and his prayer life was rather mature. After all, in his heart of hearts he knew Jesus could make him clean. He didn’t come to that belief without spending significant prayer time with God. His leprosy was the vehicle that lead him to seek Jesus. In this light we can see what a gift his leprosy was. Illness can be the instrument God uses to draw us near him.

Loving the Leper Among Us

It looks like mankind has not arrived at a place where spontaneously and instantaneously healing occurs – like it did for the leper.  So what are we doing wrong? And most importantly, what must we, God’s children, do to receive our inheritance of wholeness. A foundational shift in how mankind sees the world is needed. We must learn how to love more. This includes learning how to love ourselves more, learning how to love others more, and learning how to love God more.

Loving God’s creation as it is, with all its brokenness, is key. After all, if God wanted the world to look different then it currently does he would make a change. He has the power. Yet, God loves the world as it is, with all of its imperfections. By allowing worldly imperfections God continually gives mankind opportunities to grow in love. We are continually invited to love the lepers and invite them back home. We are also invited to love our own leprous wounds. We can’t do this alone, we need God’s help – real help. Loving others and ourselves through the “leper” wounds allows us to see Christ dwelling within.


Global Light for Christ (GLFC)

Our community, GLFC, is a group of sojourners supporting one another through prayer and love. If you are trying to more fully accept God’s invitation to love more than you are a perfect fit for our community! We are in this love thing together;-)  

I want to thank all of you who post here. When I sit with your petitions, often in the Adoration Chapel at my parish, my heart is deeply touched when I feel both your pain and the love we hold for each other. Even though we are separated by space and time we are together in love. What a blessing we have in our community.


God bless all of you. See you next week Friday – Carolyn  

If you would like to learn more about my work and my ministry I invite you to visit my website: CarolynBerghuis.com.


God the Father – hold us in your Fatherly love.

Sacred Heart of Jesus – heal us with your divine love.

God the Holy Spirit – immerse us in divine love.


Today’s Readings 1 John 5:5-13; Psalm 147:12-13, 14-15, 19-20; Alleluia Matthew 4:23; Gospel Luke 5:12-16

About the Author

Carolyn Berghuis MS, ND, CTN is a best-selling author, inspirational speaker, traditional naturopath, and free-lance Catholic writer. Carolyn is currently pursuing an MA in Pastoral Theology at Saint Meinrad Seminary and School of Theology. Carolyn also holds a BS in Mathematics, a MS in Holistic Nutrition and a doctoral degree in Naturopathy. www.CarolynBerghuis.com

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15 Comments

  1. I have a situation with a male friend that wants a relationship with me, I’m in love with him not su sure about his feelings towards me. Need to see some kind of signs that he is right for me. Been praying for this however if you can unite your prayers to mine so I can find the answer in my heart that I’m doing the right thing to continue and receive the sacrament of matrimony.

  2. Please pray for my daughter to want to go to school and to go to school. For her to have good friends, classmates, teachers, assistant principal and principal. Please pray for her to be respectful and obedient. Please pray for her healing in the absence of her biological father and to know and accept God as her Heavenly Father. Please pray that we get safe electricity, electricity, heat and water for our home so we can move back home. Please pray for our health.
    Adore Jesus!!!

  3. Love God, love ourselves, love others…all you need is love. Love the lepers and see what happens. Thank you Carolyn for your prayers and GLFC. Your love shines on us.

  4. Please pray for my husband to humble himself before the Lord (and me too) so he lead in following God’s will.
    Please pray for Amanda’s corpus collusum surgery today, and Diane’s family who is grieving the loss of their father and now the cancer diagnosis of her sister (as well as for the physical and emotional pain of her son’s in their challenges). May God receive ALL our prayers in love and mercy.

  5. Continued prayers for the son of a friend of a friend. He continues to struggle with a lymphoma tumor, but I believe the prayers have been leading to some small victories. Thank you for all of your prayers for him.

  6. Dear Carolyn, Thanks for your reflection and your gift of time shared in praying for others. God has given me personally many redos,restarts,get out of jail cards. I am grateful for each one. I too am grateful to fell personal strength when praying for others and know this is the spiritual connection God wants for me. Selfishly (because I am blessed and I feel Gods presents yet want more help). However please include in your Globle prays my daughter whose place in the world is challenging. She is honest respectful kind and cares with a full heart. She has a higher level job that could help and save many children but is being swallowed up by nothing short of evilness. She feels she is Pollyanna in the big cruel world. Please pray for her to not lose faith to stay the course and to not lose this job which she fells can help make a difference for many. Thank you God Bless You

  7. Dear God I ask you to guide Vanessa and Jonathan in their journey today. Vanessa has a job interview and needs your guidance and Jonathan starts his job today. Please be with both of them today and always. Amen

  8. Please pray for my cousin Ali and her family who lost their 13 yr old daughter Cara in the bus crash in Florida (US) last week. Pray for all those who died (7, including 5 children) or were injured. Cara will be put to rest tomorrow.

  9. Request prayers for a quick resolution to the government shutdown affecting the livelihood of so many families!

  10. God still performs miracles today and He certainly answers prayers!!! I live in WI and have prayed for the safe return of missing 13 year old Jayme Closs. I praise the Lord that she has been found safe!!! God is good!
    God bless!

  11. Pray for a friend that has many health issue and is very thankful to the Lord and never complains. She enjoys getting out for
    a day or two with friends. We are happy to be able to get her out and enjoy each others company. She now has a problem with her feet and is unable to walk. Please pray for her to find a solution for yet another painful condition.

    w

  12. I’m asking prayer for me. I’m am suffering of neck and upper back pain with extremely bad headaches. I got very sick last year in February I went into cardiac arrest, kidney failure and lung failure. The doctors were very amazingly surprised of how well I healed. The power of prayer is so powerful that everything is possible when place your trust in Jesus. He is our Lord our Savior. I’m thankful that I’m still here and I believe in miracles. For some reason God still needed me here and I’m waiting patiently what is God’s plan has for me. I’m still suffering with pain but but my beliefs or more stronger than ever. I’m a person that’s always going the extra mile for anyone who is in need especially when they are sick. God has given me the gift of caring, compassion and so much love to give. I’m asking for prayers so I can continue doing what God is calling us to do. Thank you for sharing your beautiful reflections. Carolyn you are an inspiration to me and to others. I pray the God continue using you as His instrument by spreading God’s love and believes. Have a wonderful blessed day filled with lots of love and blessings.

  13. Please pray for my husband Gary, a new dialysis patient, who is having back surgery today to repair a compression fracture…for his medical team, for pain relief, for renal healing. Pray for strength for me as being a caregiver is the hardest job in the world. But most of all pray for his conversion as he’s a non-believer. Pray for my daughter as she embarks on a missionary journey to Africa, that she reverts to the Catholic Church, pray for conversion of my son and his girlfriend who are both non-believers. In the Most Holy Name of Jesus, I pray. Amen.

  14. Please pray for my sister and her husband. She is about 8 weeks pregnant. The doctor could not find the baby’s heartbeat during her ultrasound last week. She goes to be checked again next Friday. Thank you for your prayers and reflections.

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