Reflection on Mt 8:2
A man with leprosy came and knelt before Him and said,
“Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean.”
The leper came to Jesus. Leprosy is a disease in which the parts of the body gradually rot away until death finally comes. In Jesus’ time, leprosy was an incurable disease. Leprosy is infectious, so lepers were separated from the community of other people, lived in deserted places, and had to call out when a person approached them: “Leper!”, or ring a bell to keep people away from them and not infect them.
Saint Damien de Veuster, who lived in the 19th century, voluntarily went to the island of Molokai, where lepers lived. He served them and fought for the salvation of their souls. Eventually he was infected and became a willing sacrifice for their salvation.
There is physical leprosy and there is spiritual leprosy. Spiritual leprosy, unfortunately, is upon every person, upon all humanity. It does not manifest itself externally in such a visible way, but through various sufferings it leads to physical death. But the worst thing is that for many people who reject God and His gift of salvation, that is, healing from spiritual leprosy, it brings eternal death, eternal damnation.
The Gospel says that the leper came to Jesus, knelt before Him, and begged Him, “Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean.” Jesus reached out His hand and touched the man and said to him, “I am willing, be clean!” And immediately he was cleansed of his leprosy. Jesus healed him of the physical leprosy, but He came to take away the spiritual leprosy resting on humanity. This is connected with original sin, the deposit of evil in the soul, from which all strife, murder, war and crime proceeds. Jesus became for us on the cross a spiritual cure, a Saviour from spiritual leprosy. For our part, the condition of salvation is to come to Jesus with our sins and our misery and ask Him, “Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean.” His word is for you today, “I am willing, be clean!” Through faith and the gesture of repentance, Jesus forgives your sins. Even if your soul is dark, black, it becomes light, white, cleansed by His blood. He shed it for you on the cross out of love, so that by His blood your soul might be cleansed and share in eternal glory in heaven.
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