When Jesus had come down from the mountain, great crowds followed him; and there was a leper who came to him and knelt before him, saying, ‘Lord, if you choose, you can make me clean.’ He stretched out his hand and touched him, saying, ‘I do choose. Be made clean!’ Immediately his leprosy was cleansed. Then Jesus said to him, ‘See that you say nothing to anyone; but go, show yourself to the priest, and offer the gift that Moses commanded, as a testimony to them.’
-Matthew 8:1-4
Where do we need healing in our lives, both individually and as a diocese? What past hurts are preventing us from reaching our full potential? What current struggles in body, mind, or spirit are causing us harm? And, most importantly, what can we do to support each other through these struggles? It’s always more difficult to deal with life’s problems on our own, so especially when we know of brothers and sisters who are facing the same issues that we are, we must be brave enough—be vulnerable enough—to reach out to others to both receive and offer support. Sometimes it takes opening up to someone else to realize what it is we need to change in our lives in order to heal, or at least lessen our struggles. We can’t solve each others’ problems, but we can offer care and a listening ear. And, to paraphrase the BCP, we can always pray for one another, beseeching our Lord Jesus Christ to sustain us with his presence, to drive away all sickness of body and spirit, and to give us that victory of life and peace which will enable us to serve him both now and evermore. Amen.
