S3, E9 - The Proclamation of the Kingdom Decade Meditation

The mission of the Ponder and Magnify Podcast is to seek an encounter with Jesus through praying the rosary, relying on the grace of the Holy Spirit and the intercession of Mary. In this episode, listeners are invited to pray with their imaginations through a decade meditation on the Proclamation of the Kingdom using Matthew 8: 1-4. Praise be to God!

Transcript

Jessica: 0:05

Hello and welcome to the Ponder and Magnify podcast, where our mission is to seek an encounter with Jesus through praying the Rosary, relying on the grace of the Holy Spirit and the intercession of Mary. I am so happy that you are here. In this episode, we'll meditate on Jesus' proclamation of the kingdom as we pray a decade of the rosary. We're going to be using a piece of scripture where Jesus performs one of his healings and want to encourage you to consider, as we pray, how Jesus' proclamation of the kingdom is an invitation for each of us to draw near and be healed by him of all that we're burdened by, so that we can be freed for eternal life. Before we start, let's pause and reflect on what we're bringing to prayer. What are your joys in this moment? What feels heavy right now? Is there anything that you're afraid of? What are you desiring? Whom do you wish to pray for? In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, amen, Jesus, we ask you to speak directly into our present circumstances. Mary, thank you for praying with us and for us now. Holy Spirit, anoint the gift of our imagination so that we might come to encounter Jesus more deeply through it. The third luminous mystery is the proclamation of the kingdom, a reading from the Gospel of Matthew. 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. Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us, and lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil, amen. Jesus was among great crowds when the leper approached him. What a risk the leper was taking. The leper should have been isolated in his assigned camp outside of town. Instead, he appeared in front of the crowds of people who had rejected and ostracized him. Perhaps the crowd shouted insults and rebukes at him as he approached Jesus. Perhaps they scattered in fear of him, not even wanting to look at him. Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death, amen.

Jessica: 3:31

The leper had been made to feel that he was unworthy and unclean. Surely, the devil tried to tempt him to believe these lies that he was too unworthy and unclean to approach Jesus. With every step toward Jesus, the leper battled self-doubt and the fear of potential rejection. But the leper carried just enough hope, born from his desperation, to keep moving forward, and the work of the Holy Spirit and the prayers of Mary for the salvation of souls capitalized on that, aiding him to take each next step. Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death, amen. When Jesus saw the leper approaching, his heart surely filled with such joy. The crowd saw a man worth condemning, but Jesus saw a man with great potential for a miracle. Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death. Amen.

Jessica: 4:57

Once the leper reached Jesus, he did Jesus' homage. Perhaps he bowed down on his knees until his face touched the ground before Jesus. His humility before Jesus was on full display and Jesus' heart was deeply moved in love for him. Hail Mary full of grace. The Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death. Amen. The leper spoke. Lord, if you wish, you can make me clean. The leper believed Jesus had the power to heal him, but at the same time he gave Jesus the sovereignty to decide whether he would heal him. In speaking like this, the leper was making it clear that his faith in Jesus' power was not dependent on things working out exactly as he wanted it to. Hail Mary full of grace. The Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death. Amen.

Jessica: 6:15

Jesus reached out his hand to touch the man whom no one else would consider touching for fear of contracting leprosy themselves. Jesus could have healed him just by speaking a word, but he made it a point to reach out and touch him. In this action, Jesus said to him I am not afraid of or repulsed by what you bring before me. Hail Mary full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen.

Jessica: 6:58

Perhaps Jesus used his hand to gently lift the leper's chin so he was no longer looking at the ground but right into Jesus' eyes. Perhaps Jesus took a moment to just look this man in the eyes, Jesus' face growing into more and more of a smile, as he took in the sight of the leper with such love. Then, when the leper could see in the face of Jesus that he was loved, Jesus spoke with such tenderness and warmth and said to him, grinning I will do it. Be made clean. Hail Mary full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death, amen.

Jessica: 7:55

The man's leprosy was cleansed immediately. Perhaps he could feel it tingling all over his body as it dissipated. The man looked down at his hands and arms and legs and saw his sores gone and his skin healed. Then he looked up with tears in his eyes to his healer, only to see Jesus too, with tears in his eyes, for his Sacred Heart was so moved in love and joy to see this man healed. Hail Mary, full of grace. The Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death. Amen.

Jessica: 8:47

No longer could this man be called a leper. He was now a healed man. His entire identity was changed after his encounter with Jesus. He went from rejected and abandoned to restored. Hail Mary, full of grace. The Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death, Amen.

Jessica: 9:19

Jesus instructed the man not to take the time to tell anyone about what had happened, but to go straight to a priest. With his leprosy, the man had been excluded from any public or communal worship. Now that he was healed, the priest would be able to reinstate the man to this worship. Before anything else, Jesus desired the man to be healed in order to be able to worship the Father and know him to his fullest capacity, for the sake of his eternal healing and joy. Hail Mary, full of grace. The Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen, Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be world without end. Amen, o, my Jesus. Forgive us our sins, save us from the fires of hell, lead all souls to heaven, especially those in most need of thy mercy. Amen. Hail Holy Queen, mother of Mercy, our life, our sweetness and our hope. To thee do we cry, poor, banished children of Eve. To thee do we send up our sighs, mourning and weeping in this valley of tears. Turn then, most gracious, advocate thine eyes of mercy toward us and, after this our exile. Show unto us the blessed fruit of thy womb, Jesus, o clement, o loving, o sweet Virgin Mary, pray for us, o Holy Mother of God, that we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ. Amen, in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. What a gift to pray with you. Please know that we are praying for your eternal healing and joy, and it fills us with such gratitude and praise of God. Please, please. We ask humbly for you to also be praying for us. May we all be in heaven together one day. Praise be to God.