Lord, If You Wish, You Can Make Me Clean

Lord, If You Wish, You Can Make Me Clean

January 11, 2013

Friday after Epiphany

By Melanie Rigney

Whoever possesses the Son has life; whoever does not possess the Son of God does not have life. (1 John 5:12)

Glorify the Lord, O Jerusalem; praise your God, O Zion. For he has strengthened the bars of your gates; he has blessed your children within you. (Psalms 147-12-13)

Now there was a man full of leprosy in one of the towns where he was; and when he saw Jesus, he fell prostrate, pleaded with him, and said, “Lord, if you wish, you can make me clean.” Jesus stretched out his hand, touched him, and said, “I do will it. Be made clean.” And the leprosy left him immediately. Then he ordered him not to tell anyone, but “Go, show yourself to the priest and offer for your cleansing what Moses prescribed; that will be proof for them.” The report about him spread all the more, and great crowds assembled to listen to him and to be cured of their ailments, but he would withdraw to deserted places to pray. (John 1:40-42)

Piety

Lord, help me to keep it simple: eyes, mind, heart and soul focused on You. 

Study

Leviticus 14 goes on for nearly a thousand words on what a priest needs to do and what a poor person needs to offer up to purify a scaly infection and to allow the person to return to contact with others. All sorts of things are needed… two live, clean birds; cedar; scarlet yard; hyssop; fresh water; an earthen vessel; the shaving of hair; lambs; bran flour… the list goes on and on, and the process itself takes eight days. Lepers were outcasts in the times of Moses and Jesus; even in the purification, the priest was to have no physical contact with the person until the eight day.

Contrast that with how Jesus cures the leper who asks for his help: He touches the man, says seven words, and the man is healed. We wonder in hearing today’s Gospel reading whether Jesus gave a little eye roll or chuckle when, having cured the leper, he advises the man to go to the priest and follow the prescribed process for purification.

Sometimes, we set ourselves apart from God and community in the same way society set the lepers apart. We tremble and flagellate ourselves physically, emotionally, or mentally for our sins. We isolate ourselves, sure that God and those who once loved us won’t forgive our wickedness, won’t want us near him. But nothing could be further from the truth. God longs to touch us and say those seven words: “I do will it. Be made clean.” He doesn’t ask us to invent torturous punishments for ourselves. All he asks is that we summon up the confidence to ask for his help. 

Action

In what way are you longing to have God make you clean? Consider speaking with your spiritual adviser or confessor about the situation in addition to praying about it. You’ll be surprised how easy it is to find balm for your soul.