"I do will it; be made clean"

Yesterday’s Gospel was about Jesus’ healing of a leper.  Lepers were forbidden from coming near anyone and, if they did, risks being put to death.  Furthermore, anyone who touched a leper was subject to the same restrictions as a leper.   When the leper said to Jesus “If you will, you can make me clean,” Jesus responds “I will it; be made clean.”  Jesus does not hesitate to reach out, touch the leper and restore him to health, knowing that by touching him, he himself would need to confine himself to a deserted place for a time.

Wow! What a compassionate, loving, caring God. Without hesitation, seeing the leprosy of sin that infects every human being, every country, every nation, the universe itself, the second person of the Blessed Trinity, in obedience to the Father,  leaves heaven, comes down to this deserted place to restore us to friendship with God.  Jesus not only risks His very life, He surrenders it to His father in obedience, obedience even to death on the cross so as to ransom us, heal us from our leprosy and make us whole.