"Our lack of full surrender limits God's ability to both work in our lives and through our lives."

"He who surrenders himself without reservation to the temporal claims of a nation, or a party, or a class is rendering to Caesar that which, of all things, most emphatically belongs to God: himself." - C.S. Lewis: (1898 –1963: was a British novelist, poet, & academic)

Gospel Text: (MK 1:40-45)

A leper came to him and kneeling down begged him and said,
"If you wish, you can make me clean."
Moved with pity, he stretched out his hand,
touched the leper, and said to him,
"I do will it. Be made clean."
The leprosy left him immediately, and he was made clean.
Then, warning him sternly, he dismissed him at once.
Then he said to him, "See that you tell no one anything,
but go, show yourself to the priest
and offer for your cleansing what Moses prescribed;
that will be proof for them."
The man went away and began to publicize the whole matter.
He spread the report abroad
so that it was impossible for Jesus to enter a town openly.
He remained outside in deserted places,
and people kept coming to him from everywhere.

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Let’s for a minute consider the leper in today’s Gospel narrative…..

He surrenders himself to Jesus, and by his actions and words stating “I believe in you and your power over me. I trust you implicitly with my needs. I know you can help me, and I ask for that help.  I surrender myself to you. You are my hope, my cleanser, my redeemer. Please cure me of the stain that covers me.” And so Jesus cures him.

Is your faith like that of the leper? Do you believe that you will be redeemed by trusting in temporal manifestations of God’s power? Or……Do you believe that you will be redeemed by surrendering your self, your will, your entire being to the will of God?

My prayer for today is that I can fully, unconditionally, and generously surrender myself to God.