Leprosy. Now a treatable disease, it was once a sentence of shame, isolation, and gradual death. Because it is contagious, lepers were required to remain far from others, and they could not participate in worship or any other communal activity. This horrible disease damaged the skin, nerves, lungs, and eyes, leading to deformed limbs and faces, poor eyesight and weakness.
When the leper sees Jesus in today’s Gospel, he breaks all the rules. When Jesus sees the leper, he breaks the rules too.
The leper breaks the rule of remaining far away from people when he dares to come near to Jesus and falls before him in desperation. But he demands nothing. He does not say, “Cure me!” He shows his faith and understanding that Jesus is the Lord of all by saying, “IF YOU WISH, you can make me clean.” (emphasis added) It is all on the heart of Jesus, and the leper acknowledges this and waits for the answer.
And Jesus breaks the rule of avoiding lepers by touching him – touching the leper! – relieving him of his social isolation. And he says the words he desires to say to each of us: “I DO WILL IT. Be made clean.” (emphasis added) And immediately, by the Lord’s will, the leper IS clean. In one moment, with one gesture and word, Jesus frees the man of his physical pain, his sentence of death, his exile, his isolation from human interaction, and his anxieties. In one moment, Jesus gives freedom.
This is what Jesus wants for all of us! He wants us to be like the great crowds who assembled to listen to his words, hoping to be cured of their ailments, particularly the ailments of sin, fear, doubt, resistance. He wants to heal us of our mental, emotional, physical, and spiritual wounds, so that we can walk toward Heaven in freedom and interior peace.
We must run toward Jesus, the One who saves. We must acknowledge the fact that we cannot fix ourselves, and place all our trust in his loving will to free us. We must pray as the leper did: Lord, if you will it, you can make me clean. And then we must allow him to lead us to wholeness – whether that is immediately or gradually. Only the Lord knows the best way to heal our wounds; only his grace can heal our hidden wounds, working far deeper than our understanding can go.
Let us trust that today, in subtle ways, the Heart of Jesus is saying to each of us: “Be made clean.”
La lepra. Hoy es una enfermedad tratable, pero en el pasado era una sentencia de vergüenza, aislamiento y muerte gradual. Como es contagiosa, los leprosos debían permanecer alejados de los demás y no podían participar en el culto ni en ninguna otra actividad comunitaria. Esta enfermedad horrible dañaba la piel, los nervios, los pulmones y los ojos, lo que provocaba deformaciones en las extremidades y el rostro, problemas de visión y debilidad.
Cuando el leproso ve a Jesús en el Evangelio de hoy, rompe todas las reglas. Cuando Jesús ve al leproso, también las rompe.
El leproso rompe la regla de permanecer alejado de la gente cuando se atreve a acercarse a Jesús y cae ante él desesperado. Pero no exige nada. No dice: “¡Cúrame!” Muestra su fe y su comprensión de que Jesús es el Señor de todo al decir: “Si quieres, puedes limpiarme”. (énfasis añadido) Todo está en el corazón de Jesús, y el leproso lo reconoce y espera la respuesta.
Jesús rompe la regla de evitar a los leprosos al tocarlo – ¡tocó al leproso! – liberándolo de su aislamiento social. Y dice las palabras que desea decirnos a cada uno de nosotros: “Quiero. Queda limpio” (énfasis añadido). E inmediatamente, por voluntad del Señor, el leproso queda limpio. En un momento, con un gesto y una palabra, Jesús libera al hombre de su dolor físico, de su sentencia de muerte, de su exilio, de su aislamiento de la interacción humana y de sus ansiedades. En un momento, Jesús da la libertad.
¡Esto es lo que Jesús quiere para todos nosotros! Quiere que seamos como las grandes multitudes que se reunieron para escuchar sus palabras, con la esperanza de ser curadas de sus dolencias, particularmente las dolencias del pecado, el miedo, la duda, la resistencia. Quiere sanarnos de nuestras heridas mentales, emocionales, físicas y espirituales, para que podamos caminar hacia el Cielo en libertad y paz interior.
Debemos correr hacia Jesús, el que salva. Debemos reconocer el hecho de que no podemos curarnos a nosotros mismos y depositar toda nuestra confianza en su amorosa voluntad de liberarnos. Debemos orar como lo hizo el leproso: Señor, si tú quieres, puedes limpiarme. Y luego debemos permitirle que nos conduzca a la plenitud, ya sea de manera inmediata o gradual. Sólo el Señor sabe la mejor manera de sanar nuestras heridas; sólo su gracia puede sanar nuestras heridas ocultas, trabajando mucho más profundamente de lo que nuestro entendimiento puede llegar. Confiemos en que hoy, de manera sutil, el Corazón de Jesús nos está diciendo a cada uno de nosotros: “Queda limpio”.
Kathryn Mulderink, MA, is married to Robert, Station Manager for Holy Family Radio. Together they have seven children (including Father Rob), and eleven grandchildren. She is President of the local community of Secular Discalced Carmelites and has published five books and many articles. Over the last 30 years, she has worked as a teacher, headmistress, catechist, Pastoral Associate, and DRE, and as a writer and voice talent for Catholic Radio. Currently, she serves the Church by writing and speaking, and by collaborating with various parishes and to lead others to encounter Christ and engage their faith. Her website is www.KathrynTherese.com
Feature Image Credit: Pixabay, pixabay.com/photos/jesus-the-heart-of-jesus-boh-2909689/
The views and opinions expressed in the Inspiration Daily blog are solely those of the original authors and contributors. These views and opinions do not necessarily represent those of Diocesan, the Diocesan staff, or other contributors to this blog.
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