Before the Healing

Friday of the Twelfth Week in Ordinary Time

Reading 1 2 Kings 25:1-12

In the tenth month of the ninth year of Zedekiah’s reign,
on the tenth day of the month,
Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, and his whole army
advanced against Jerusalem, encamped around it,
and built siege walls on every side.
The siege of the city continued until the eleventh year of Zedekiah.
On the ninth day of the fourth month,
when famine had gripped the city,
and the people had no more bread,
the city walls were breached.
Then the king and all the soldiers left the city by night
through the gate between the two walls
that was near the king’s garden.
Since the Chaldeans had the city surrounded,
they went in the direction of the Arabah.
But the Chaldean army pursued the king
and overtook him in the desert near Jericho,
abandoned by his whole army.

The king was therefore arrested and brought to Riblah
to the king of Babylon, who pronounced sentence on him.
He had Zedekiah’s sons slain before his eyes.
Then he blinded Zedekiah, bound him with fetters,
and had him brought to Babylon.On the seventh day of the fifth month
(this was in the nineteenth year of Nebuchadnezzar,
king of Babylon),
Nebuzaradan, captain of the bodyguard,
came to Jerusalem as the representative
of the king of Babylon.
He burned the house of the Lord,
the palace of the king, and all the houses of Jerusalem;
every large building was destroyed by fire.
Then the Chaldean troops who were with the captain of the guard
tore down the walls that surrounded Jerusalem.

Then Nebuzaradan, captain of the guard,
led into exile the last of the people remaining in the city,
and those who had deserted to the king of Babylon,
and the last of the artisans.
But some of the country’s poor, Nebuzaradan, captain of the guard,
left behind as vinedressers and farmers.

Responsorial Psalm Psalm 137:1-2, 3, 4-5, 6

R. (6ab) Let my tongue be silenced, if I ever forget you!
By the streams of Babylon
we sat and wept
when we remembered Zion.
On the aspens of that land
we hung up our harps.
R. Let my tongue be silenced, if I ever forget you!
Though there our captors asked of us
the lyrics of our songs,
And our despoilers urged us to be joyous:
“Sing for us the songs of Zion!”
R. Let my tongue be silenced, if I ever forget you!
How could we sing a song of the Lord
in a foreign land?
If I forget you, Jerusalem,
may my right hand be forgotten!
R. Let my tongue be silenced, if I ever forget you!
May my tongue cleave to my palate
if I remember you not,
If I place not Jerusalem
ahead of my joy.
R. Let my tongue be silenced, if I ever forget you!

Alleluia Matthew 8:17

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Christ took away our infirmities
and bore our diseases.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel Matthew 8:1-4

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.”

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Lectionary for Mass for Use in the Dioceses of the United States, second typical edition, Copyright © 2001, 1998, 1997, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine; Psalm refrain © 1968, 1981, 1997, International Committee on English in the Liturgy, Inc. All rights reserved. Neither this work nor any part of it may be reproduced, distributed, performed or displayed in any medium, including electronic or digital, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

June 26, 2026 // Friday of the Twelfth Week in Ordinary Time

Read the Word // Open your Bible to today’s Gospel: Matthew 8:1-4

Reflect on the Word //

I stood in front of the mirror, frustrated again. My body felt foreign—sluggish, inflamed, unresponsive. I had tried the plans, followed the routines, done “all the right things,” and still, something wasn’t clicking. That familiar temptation crept in: fix it, control it, push harder. But beneath the noise was a quieter invitation—to come closer, not to a new plan, but to a Person. In that moment, I felt the tension between striving for a solution and surrendering to the One Who sees me fully. I didn’t need another answer. I needed to approach Him.

In today’s Gospel, “a leper approached, did him homage, and said, ‘Lord, if you wish, you can make me clean’” (Matthew 8:2). The leper’s suffering is visible, undeniable. Yet what strikes me is not just his need for healing, but his clarity of faith. He knows Who Jesus is. He believes in His power. And so he draws near.

Before any physical healing takes place, there is already a deeper restoration unfolding—a turning of the heart toward Christ. The leper’s condition becomes the very place of encounter. His suffering leads him not into isolation, but into relationship.

Jesus stretches out His hand. He touches what others would avoid. The miracle that follows reveals something greater than healing alone: the heart of God, who is not distant from our wounds, but moved by them. The healing is real, but it is not the end. It is an invitation into communion.

We, too, carry places of brokenness—visible or hidden—that ache for restoration. And yet, these very places can become the doorway to intimacy with Him. When we choose to approach Jesus in trust, we find that He is already reaching toward us, drawing us not only into healing, but into deeper relationship with Him.

Relate to the Lord // Share your desire for healing with Jesus vulnerably. Allow Him to respond.

Be a Woman of the Word

About Shalini Blubaugh

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Shalini Blubaugh est une greffe du Minnesota vivant à Denver, au Colorado, avec son doux mari, Matt, leur copine, Callan, et leur chiot, Sully. C'est une maman qui reste à la maison, qui travaille à domicile et qui aime le fitness et qui aime aussi la pizza, parce que #balance. Elle a servi avec NET Ministries et a obtenu son diplôme avec son JD, mais laisse maintenant avec plaisir tout ce qui concerne la loi derrière elle ! En savoir plus sur elle ici .