Readings: Genesis 17:1,5,9-10,15-22; Psalm 128; Mt 8:1-4 Today’s reading invites us to imitate Abraham and the leper in bringing before the Lord our doubts, our needs and our requests with humility and trust in His Divine providence and goodness.In the Gospel, Jesus is approached by a leper who paid homage to Jesus and went even further, expressing his faith that Jesus could cure him if He wished. Jesus did desire this and stretched out His hand to touch the leper and pronounce the words, “I do choose. Be made clean!” With that, the leper was cleansed.
The first thing to note is that Jesus “touched” the leper. This was a forbidden practice, since lepers were unclean and touching them could spread their disease. But Jesus broke the norm and touched the man, revealing to him his innate dignity.To do homage to another is to publicly express reverence and respect to them. Jesus did just that. He not only honored the leper by His touch and healing: he publicly expressed His love and respect for this man.
Of course, the homage we owe to God is unique. It is the homage of worship; surrendering our lives in total abandonment and trust. We must honor Him as God and express our love accordingly. Despite His almighty power by this miracle, Jesus descends even to our human lowliness in setting for us an example of how we must treat others. Every person is made in the image and likeness of God and deserves our utmost respect.
The leper is only a symbol of the many types of people whom the world considers unclean and unworthy. Criminals, the poor, the homeless, people of color, the political opponent etc. Every person deserves our utmost respect and reverence. How do I behave toward people who are different from me? May we see our sisters and brothers with the eye of faith, with the heart of God’s love.