Luke 5:12-16

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.

Opening Prayer: Lord God, cleanse me from my sin and wash me with the blood of your Son. Purify the intentions of my heart and inspire me with your Word. Strengthen me with your Spirit and grant me docility of heart to carry out your holy will.

Encountering the Word of God

1. Signs of Salvation: The majority of Jesus’ signs and miracles – as recorded in the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke – were healings. Jesus healed the blind, the mute, the deaf, lepers, the lame, the paralyzed, epileptics, and the sick. Through these healings, Jesus fulfilled the words of the prophets and manifested that the age of salvation had come. For example, Isaiah prophesied that in the age of salvation, the eyes of the blind would be opened, the ears of the deaf unstopped, the lame would leap like the deer, and the tongues of the mute would sing for joy (Isaiah 35:5-6). Jesus fulfilled all of these prophecies. As signs, the healing signs done by Jesus point to greater healing realities in the age of the Church. Sin causes spiritual blindness, lameness, muteness, deafness, leprosy, paralysis, and sickness. The Church, with the power given her by Christ, can open the eyes of the blind through faith. The Church can strengthen the muscles of the spiritually lame. The Church can enable the spiritually mute to sing God’s praises. The Church can open our ears with the proclamation of the Word of God. The Church, through her Sacraments, can raise the spiritually dead to life and restore those who are spiritually sick to health.

2. Jesus’ Priestly and Healing Power: When Jesus touched the leper, he was not rendered unclean by the leper. The reverse happened. The leper was cleansed by the touch of Jesus. The same happens with our sinful humanity. When God reached out and touched us by assuming our human nature, he was not rendered unclean through his contact with humanity. Instead, the Son of God perfected our human nature. He lived our life but was not marred by sin. This is comforting because no matter how serious or how many our sins are, they can all be healed and cleansed by God’s healing touch. On the Cross, we see Jesus revealed as our priest, who sacrifices himself for our sins. He effectively did what the Levitical priests could not do through their animal sacrifices.

3. Show Yourself to the Priest: In the Gospel, Jesus commands the leper to go and show himself to the priest. This was to fulfill the Law of Moses, which obligated those who were healed from skin diseases to be examined by the priests before they could be readmitted to the community and society. This was a practical way of protecting the community from a contagious disease. But it was also a sign that pointed to something greater in the New Covenant. When we go to the Sacrament of Reconciliation, we show ourselves to the priest. We humbly confess our sins, manifest as best we can our conscience, and ask to be readmitted to God’s family. When the celebration of the Sacrament of Reconciliation ends, there is still work to be done. We need to do our penance and work to restore the relationships we broke through sin.

Conversing with Christ: Lord Jesus, I am always in need of your forgiveness and mercy. Do not let me become haughty or self-righteous like the Pharisees and Scribes. Do not let me wallow in the filth of sin. I want to strive every day and every hour for holiness and perfection and count on your grace to attain them.

Living the Word of God: When was my last confession? What sins have I struggled with since then? Is it time to go again to confession and receive the grace of forgiveness and reconciliation? What sins have I been working to overcome during this Jubilee Year of Mercy?