Readings:
2 Kings 25:1-12
Matthew 8:1-4

Reflection:
The unnamed leper takes the world (us) along with him as he makes his request of Jesus, ‘If you want to, you can heal me’. ‘Of course, I want to’, says Jesus, and the leper is healed.
As people experience the depth of the leper’s need and long for his healing they spontaneously pray alongside with him, he is not alone.
When we pray our prayers of intercession both in public or in private this strong spiritual bond draws us into the needs of people we do not know or ways of living we cannot understand.
The barriers that often divide us drop away and for a moment as through prayer we are sisters and brothers in Christ.
In 4 lines and a simple story, Matthew gives us an unforgettable instruction on heart-felt prayer.
Thanks be to God
Fr Peter Addicoat CP lives in St Joseph’s community in Hobart, Tasmania.