The Holy Gospel According to Luke (5:12-16).
It happened that there was a man full of leprosy in one of the towns where Jesus was; and when he saw Jesus, he fell prostrate, pleaded with him, and said,
“Lord, if you wish, you can make me clean.”
Jesus stretched out his hand, touched him, and said, “I do will it. Be made clean.” And the leprosy left him immediately. Then he ordered him not to tell anyone, but “Go, show yourself to the priest and offer for your cleansing
what Moses prescribed; that will be proof for them.”
The report about him spread all the more, and great crowds assembled to listen to him and to be cured of their ailments, but he would withdraw to deserted places to pray.
The Gospel of the Lord.
Reflection: At first reading and reflecting on this Gospel, two truths stand out. The first is the deep compassion of Jesus. In Jesus’ time, lepers were shunned and marginalized from the community. Lepers would have had to leave their families and neighbors and live on the outskirts of town with others who were “unclean.” People would stay away from and not touch lepers. When this man “full of leprosy” asked Jesus to be healed, Jesus did not hesitate or look down on the man who was asking for help. He simply saw the man’s needs and helped him without prejudice. Jesus stretched out his hand, touched the leper and healed him. By touching the leper, Jesus goes against the norms of his society and shows that no one is untouchable or beyond the reach of God’s mercy. Jesus is not repelled by our wounds, our sins, or our shame. He draws near to us in our brokenness.
The second is this leper broke a cultural barrier by coming to Jesus. This shows the power of faith. The leper approaches Jesus with complete faith and trust in Him, believing that Jesus has the power to heal him. Jesus healed him physically of his disease. Jesus also healed him emotionally by restoring his dignity.
As we reflect more on this Gospel, it reminds us that the compassion of Jesus is for everybody. We are all sinners in need of healing. Maybe it is a troubled relationship, a memory of a past hurt, or isolation because we are ashamed of our sins. All we need to do is to come to Jesus, with faith and trust, and ask him to heal our own “leprosy. “ This is the brokenness in our lives, no matter how unworthy we may feel. We all need His grace and all we need to do is ask for it.
As disciples of Jesus, we can follow His example and seek to help everyone around us, whether they be our close friends or strangers on the street, with the love and charity he showed in His life. We are called to imitate Jesus, and show compassion by reaching out to those in need, especially those who feel marginalized or forgotten.
Action for the day: As we reflect on this Gospel, may we bring our “leprosy” to Jesus, our fears, our sins, and our wounds, with humility and trust, to Jesus, trusting in his power to restore us. This is possible in the sacrament of reconciliation, where we encounter Jesus’ love, mercy, and compassion. May our prayer today be, “Lord, if You will it, You can make me clean.”
Audio Reflection:
Thank you, Deacon Mike. God bless.