{"id":23146,"date":"2026-02-17T12:11:09","date_gmt":"2026-02-17T01:11:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.thebuzz.net.au\/serviam\/?post_type=article&#038;p=23146"},"modified":"2026-02-18T08:55:18","modified_gmt":"2026-02-17T21:55:18","slug":"gospel-reflection-28","status":"publish","type":"article","link":"https:\/\/www.thebuzz.net.au\/serviam\/article\/gospel-reflection-28\/","title":{"rendered":"Gospel Reflection"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">In Sunday\u2019s Gospel, the leper approaches Jesus with courage and trust, saying, <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u201cIf you want to, you can make me clean.\u201d<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Jesus responds by reaching out and healing him. This encounter reveals a God who steps toward human need and restores dignity.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">As we reflect on this Gospel, many faith communities are entering seasons of renewal. In the Roman Catholic and Eastern Catholic Churches, Lent invites believers into prayer, fasting, and acts of charity. The Orthodox community prepares for Great Lent through reflection and the Rite of Forgiveness. Soon, the Muslim community will begin Ramadan, a month of fasting, prayer, and generosity. In Judaism, the rhythm of Shabbat and the reflective period of the Days of Awe call believers back to God and neighbour. Buddhist practice encourages mindfulness and compassion, while Hindu traditions such as Maha Shivaratri invite spiritual renewal and deeper connection with the divine.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Across these traditions, people seek healing, reconciliation, and a renewed heart\u2014echoing the leper\u2019s plea and Jesus\u2019 compassionate response.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">This longing for healing also echoes the call of Pope Leo, who urged the world to choose peace through humility, dialogue, and respect for human dignity. His message stands in the same spirit as St Francis, who prayed to be an instrument of peace and reached across boundaries with gentleness and courage.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">In the midst of our busy days, it becomes even more important to pause and create small moments of stillness\u2014moments where we breathe, listen, and allow God\u2019s peace to settle within us. These quiet spaces help us recognise where we need healing and where we are called to offer compassion to others.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">May this season\u2014across all our traditions\u2014lead us toward healing, understanding, and a deeper commitment to peace in our hearts, our homes, and our world.<\/span><\/p>\n<h5><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"><em><strong>Antoinette Nader<\/strong><\/em><br \/>\n<em><strong>Religious Education Coordinator<\/strong><\/em><\/span><\/h5>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>\u201cIf you want to, you can make me clean.\u201d Jesus responds by reaching out and healing him&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":23165,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","class_list":["post-23146","article","type-article","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thebuzz.net.au\/serviam\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/article\/23146","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thebuzz.net.au\/serviam\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/article"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thebuzz.net.au\/serviam\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/article"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thebuzz.net.au\/serviam\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=23146"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thebuzz.net.au\/serviam\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/23165"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thebuzz.net.au\/serviam\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=23146"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}