Daily Scriptures & Reflections

The readings today place before us two very different approaches to God in moments of crisis, and in that contrast, they reveal the heart of true faith. In the first reading, Israel suffers defeat at the hands of the Philistines. Confused and wounded, the elders ask the right question— “Why has the LORD permitted us to be defeated today?”—but they quickly reach for the wrong solution. They bring the Ark of the Covenant into battle, not as a sign of humble trust, but as a sacred object they hope will guarantee victory. God is treated as a possession, a religious strategy to control outcomes. The result is disastrous: another defeat, the loss of life, and even the capture of the Ark. The presence of God cannot be manipulated; holiness cannot be reduced to a symbol without conversion of heart. Psalm 44 echoes the pain of this moment. It is a raw cry of abandonment and humiliation: “Why do you hide your face?” Yet even in confusion, the psalmist clings to mercy, not entitlement. “Redeem us, Lord, because of your mercy.” This is the prayer of a people learning—slowly and painfully—that deliverance flows not from objects or noise or ritual confidence, but from a humble return to God. The Gospel offers a striking contrast. A leper approaches Jesus—isolated, unclean, excluded from community and worship. He does not demand or presume. He simply says, “If you wish, you can make me clean.” This is faith at its purest: confidence in God’s power, surrendered to God’s will. Jesus’ response reveals the deepest truth about God’s heart. Moved with pity, He touches the untouchable and says, “I do will it. Be made clean.” God’s will is not distance, punishment, or exclusion. God’s will is healing, restoration, and life. Where Israel tried to bring God into battle on their own terms, the leper allows God to act on His. Where fear and control led to loss, trust and humility open the way to grace. Jesus does not merely heal the leper’s body; He restores his dignity, his place in the community, and his relationship with God. This reflection invites us to examine our own faith. Do we sometimes treat God like Israel treated the Ark—something to invoke when we are desperate, without true conversion? Or do we approach God like the leper—honest in our need, humble in our prayer, trusting in God’s compassionate will? “I do will it. Be made clean.” These words are not only for the leper. They are spoken over our hidden wounds, our failures, our spiritual defeats. When we come to Jesus with surrendered hearts, we discover that God’s will is mercy—and mercy always has the final word.