Reflection on Mt 8:2-3
This event happened after Jesus finished His Sermon on the Mount of Beatitudes, where He presented simple life principles leading to eternal life. To lead us to the essence, Jesus completes here what Moses had not expressed explicitly in the Law of God. Referring to the commandment “You shall not kill!”, Jesus points out the root and says that we cannot even nourish hatred in our heart. Referring to the commandment “You shall not commit adultery!”, Jesus warns that even a lustful look is a manifestation of adultery. Concerning forgiveness, He emphasizes: “God will not forgive you if you do not forgive your neighbour” etc. At the end of the Sermon on the Mount Jesus speaks about an extremely important principle, which He explains in the parable of two builders. One of them built a house quickly but without foundations. The other built the foundation on the rock. When a storm came, it turned out that only a house built on the rock of Christ’s teaching shall stand. However, to build on the rock it is not enough to be theologically educated, even if this theology is truly Catholic. An academic Christian will not stand; one must be a practising Christian who not only hears the word of God (not modern heresies) but also puts it into practice.
When Jesus had come down from the mountain, great multitudes followed Him, and then a leper approached Him. We could compare leprosy to AIDS, which is in fact a slow death occurring even in young people. The body parts of lepers gradually became numb and deformed until that process resulted in death. Lepers were isolated from the community of healthy people and stayed outside in deserted places not to infect others. Such a poor man approached Jesus, knelt before Him and cried out with great faith and confidence: “Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean!” He put everything into this life’s chance of his encounter with Jesus! What is your encounter with Jesus in prayer like? Is it a habitual formality or do you seek a living contact in faith and humility? Each of us carries the infection of original sin which progresses in the form of both visible and hidden sins, such as immoral lust, pride, envy, greed for wealth or career… If man is spiritually blind, he is unaware of this disease of contagious sin in him. He takes offence when someone tells him about it, and he thus proves that he does have it. Leprosy is a disease of the body; sin is the leprosy of the soul.
For a period of two weeks, seven times a day, you are going to repeat the word of God: “Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean!” When you will repeat these words, realize that you carry a disease which struggles to throw your spirit, your soul and your whole being into eternal damnation, separation from God, in hell. If you ask God, He can heal you immediately, like the leper, e.g. of the vice of smoking, drug addiction or alcoholism, but He will not fully remove the disease of original sin. However, He will give you the strength to identify your old self, your corrupt nature, and to carry it patiently as your cross every day. You will no longer adore sin in you, nor be a slave to it, nor justify it! Then in the hour of death, because you have suffered this purgatory of repentance on earth, you will enter into full unity with Christ risen and glorified. Then Jesus will put out His hand and lead you into the glory of God.
Download: Reflection on Mt 8:2-3
