January 9, 2026 // Friday After Epiphany
Read the Word // Open your Bible to today’s Gospel: Luke 5:12-16
Reflect on the Word //
I don’t like to ask for help. There’s a long list of reasons for this, including being the oldest daughter, adhering strongly to the personal motto of “I am a strong, capable, adult woman!” and, most commonly, wanting things done my way. I run my life most of the time by these beliefs, but what they fundamentally boil down to is plain old pride.
When I hear the words of the man with leprosy, “Lord, if you wish, you can make me clean” (Luke 5:12), what rings loudest in my ears is this man placing the desires and wishes of Christ ahead of his own, even ahead of his own suffering! This man who was suffering so profoundly was willing to let go of his desire to be healed because he knew the desires of Christ for him to be more important.
Unfortunately, in my own prayer life I so often fall into only praying for what I want, or what I have anxiety about, begging the Lord for my will and my way to be done. As I pour out my problems to Jesus in prayer I easily give Him my laundry list of problems, but also I tell Him the exact way I would like these problems solved. I am not asking Jesus if He desires the solutions I’m offering, or to ponder and ask Him what it is He wishes for the problems I face daily.
Perhaps you, friend, do the same. Today’s Gospel prompts us to consider: How can we hear the voice of God if we spend all our time in prayer telling Him what to do? But even more importantly, how can we grow closer to God if we view our desires as more important than His?
We are reminded by the suffering man in the Gospel to seek what Christ wishes for us today. The first step is to ask for our will to be transformed by His will for us. It may seem like a simple thing, but switching our perspective from asking Jesus for what we want to asking what He wants is an essential step toward being fully united to Him.
Relate to the Lord // Where do you need help? Who can you ask for help today?
Christy Isinger is a cradle Catholic, wife, and mother of five teenagers from western Canada. During the short Canadian summers she tries to garden and grow flowers, while in the long cold winters she reads a lot of books, writes, and homeschools. Her Substack newsletter can be found at christyisinger.substack.com.
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