Meditation Minute

My Dearest Brothers and Sisters in Christ:

“Lord, if you will, you can make me clean.”

Gospel Reading: Matthew 8:1-4

1 When he came down from the mountain, great crowds followed him; 2 and behold, a leper came to him and knelt before him, saying, "Lord, if you will, you can make me clean." 3 And he stretched out his hand and touched him, saying, "I will; be clean." And immediately his leprosy was cleansed. 4 And Jesus said to him, "See that you say nothing to any one; but go, show yourself to the priest, and offer the gift that Moses commanded, for a proof to the people."

Who do you cry out to when you need help? In today’s Gospel reading, a leper reaches out to Christ for help. Because of his faith, he was healed of this disease which inflicted his body. A leper was considered untouchable and was not to interact with other people in the community. They were outcast because of their uncleanliness. Their bodies were covered with open wounds and their body would slowly wither away. If they came close to someone, the leper would likely be stoned to prevent them from coming near. Jesus did the unthinkable, he felt the pain of this man and reached out and touched him. Because of this man’s humility, he was cleansed. He reached out for help and Jesus purified him both physically and spiritually. The message is simple, no matter how spiritually unclean we become, Christ is always there for us. If we approach Christ with humility, he will reach out and touch us. There is nothing we can do that would prevent God’s love and mercy from healing our wounds.

This Gospel reading not only calls us to reach out to Christ when we need help, but we must also be like Christ and reach out to help others in need. If we see a leper approach us, we must reach out and extend the love of God. We must never turn our back on someone in need. The Holy Spirit within us empowers us to reach out with the love and compassion that Christ did for this leper. We are called to accept the rejected, care for the mistreated, and love the untouchable. If we shun these people, we shun Christ and separate ourselves from God.

A Simple Prayer

Lord, I am your humble servant.

Fill my heart with the fire of your love.

May I use this grace to help those in need.

Yours in Christ

Michael Marcon