When Jesus saw the leper kneeling down, begging, the gospel tells Jesus was moved with pity. But this translation is not conveying the original meaning: it literally means he had a gut reaction, that is, to be moved in the inward parts, the entrails. This strong verb emphasizes the depth of Jesus’ feeling for the person with leprosy. Instead of recoiling from the man, Jesus stretched out his hand, touched and said to him, “Be made clean.”
Now as a priest I am often asked to stretch out my hand, anoint and pray over the sick. Sometimes, as I saw my father unconscious in ICU, I feel my gut reaction, seeing my friends’ lung and intestines cut out because of cancer. It seems my lungs and intestines to be felt differently—more appreciated and renewed. It is amazing to see how God touches the sick and those who are with them. My friend told me when he had chemo last Wednesday the day we had a terrible snowstorm he got a call at 7AM, saying his driveway was cleared to go out. His neighbor did that for him. When he was on the way back from the hospital, he got another call, saying his driveway cleared to go in. Another neighbor did that for him.
The cure provides physical relief, but it should be accompanied by healing. Profound healing reconnects us to the deepest center of ourselves and through that center to God and neighbor. As much as we need to touch the sick to be reminded of one humanity in which we are brothers and sisters, we also need to recognize our need of healing by being touched.
Are we willing to kneel down, beg Jesus and say to him, “Make me clean?” Do we desire to be healed by acknowledging our uncleanness in our sins and struggles? Resentment, depression, grudge, anxiety, unworthiness, and secret sickness no one knows but you are here. I am sure Jesus cannot fix what isn’t broken. If we admit our brokenness, we are able to let Jesus’ touch heal us, trusting in the Lord who shall not break a bruised reed and shall not quench a smoldering wick. Jesus healed the leper, knowing his action resulted in preventing him from entering a town openly and making him remain outside in deserted places. But regardless of these Jesus touched the untouchable to suffer with him, that is, being compassionate. So people who were sick in many ways like us kept flocking to him from everywhere.
So let us ask Jesus to touch us and heal us, standing and raising our hands up in the traditional posture of prayer as a sign of surrender before God.
(“Jesus, Heal Us” by David Haas will be played)