Daily Gospel Reflection
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June 25, 2021
When Jesus came down from the mountain, great crowds followed him.
And then a leper approached, did him homage, and said,
“Lord, if you wish, you can make me clean.”
He stretched out his hand, touched him, and said,
“I will do it. Be made clean.”
His leprosy was cleansed immediately.
Then Jesus said to him, “See that you tell no one,
but go show yourself to the priest,
and offer the gift that Moses prescribed;
that will be proof for them.”
“I do choose. Be made clean!”
How often do we believe that God continually wills our cleanliness, our wholeness, our health?
In today’s Gospel, we see a leper who comes to Jesus and says, “Lord, if you choose, you can make me clean.” Jesus, with apparent ease, responds to the leper, “I do choose. Be made clean!” This is a common formula in the Gospels: a person makes a profession of faith and Jesus heals that person. The exchange is often understood as a causal relationship, that the leper passed some kind of test by having the audacity to proclaim faith in Christ, and it is only after this proclamation that Christ chooses to heal him.
Yet, Christ here does not make his choice dependent on the leper’s faith; instead, he emphatically says: “I do choose. Be made clean!” God makes the sunshine and rain fall upon the good and the wicked. God’s grace and love is the one constant in our lives—it is our ability to recognize it that fluctuates.
The last actions of the leper in today’s Gospel (presuming he actually did it!), is to “offer the gift that Moses commanded, as a testimony.” This is an act of gratitude. When we finally recognize God’s healing presence in our lives, this act of gratitude is our natural reaction.
Where is God’s grace active in our lives? How are we grateful for our lives? Who do we know who is in need of God’s grace? How can we share God’s healing presence with them?
Prayer
Lord, give us the love and the generosity to reach out to serve our brothers and sisters in need, so in loving and serving them, we may love and serve you, and thus one day hear you welcome us into your eternal kingdom. Amen.
Saint of the Day
St. Eurosia is a local saint of Jaca, a Spanish town in the Pyrenees. Devotion to St. Eurosia has always centered around Jaca, but spread into northern Italy during the Middle Ages. As the Italian painting of her to the left demonstrates, place has always played an important part of Eruosia's images.
Eurosia's date of birth is unknown; different legends cite the date of death from anywhere from the early eighth century to the late ninth century.
Eurosia's cult developed at a time of great animosity in northern Spain towards the southern, Muslim half of Spain. Eurosia was believed to have been either a French or Bohemian princess who was promised in marriage to a nobleman from the south.
Eurosia did not wish to marry, particularly did not want to marry a non-Christian, but rather wished to live her life in devotion to God. She ran away from her husband, and escaped into the Pyrenees.
She was pursued and caught, but Eurosia invoked the help of heaven and a lightning bolt struck some of her captors. Eurosia was quickly executed, her limbs cut off, and beheaded.
Devotion to Eurosia grew when a shepherd discovered her relics in the eleventh century. As Jaca was a stop on the wildly popular Camino de Santiago, Eurosia grew in popularity, due to the steady stream of pilgrims visiting her relics. Perhaps it was due to pilgrims seeking spiritual healing or restoration that she became the patron intercessor of those experiencing demonic possession. Pope Leo XIII affirmed her cult in 1902.
St. Eurosia, intercessor for those who suffer from demonic possession—pray for us!
Image Credit: Our featured image of St. Eurosia is in the public domain. Last accessed March 6, 2025 on Wikimedia Commons.
