A Reflection on Luke 5:12-16
In today's gospel, a man covered with
leprosy approaches Jesus with remarkable faith, saying, "Lord, if you
wish, you can make me clean." This moment reveals something profound about
Jesus's heart. The law said lepers must stay away, cry out "unclean,"
and live in isolation. But Jesus does something shocking, he reaches out and
touches him. Jesus didn't have to touch him to heal him; he could have spoken a
word from a distance. But Jesus chose to touch this man whom no one had touched
in years, perhaps decades. In that single gesture, Jesus showed us that he
doesn't just want to fix our problems from afar, he wants to enter into our
suffering, to meet us in our isolation, to restore not just our bodies but our
dignity and humanity.
The deeper mystery here is that Jesus doesn't become unclean by touching the
leper; instead, the leper becomes clean by touching Jesus. This is the
beautiful reversal of grace. In our natural world, corruption spreads, touch
something dirty and you become dirty. But with Jesus, purity spreads. His
holiness is so powerful that it overcomes our brokenness. This same principle
is at work in the Eucharist, which we receive at every Mass. We, sinful and
wounded, approach the altar, and Jesus comes to us, body, blood, soul, and
divinity. We don't make him less holy by our unworthiness; rather, he makes us
holy by his presence within us. Like the leper, we need only come to Jesus with
faith, acknowledging our need, and he transforms us from the inside out.
This gospel also connects beautifully to the Sorrowful Mysteries of the Rosary,
particularly the Agony in the Garden. There, Jesus took upon himself all the
spiritual leprosy of humanity, every sin, every shame, every isolation we would
ever experience. He didn't keep his distance from our suffering; he embraced it
completely, sweat falling like drops of blood. When we pray the Rosary and
meditate on Jesus's passion, we're contemplating this same truth: God so loved
us that he was willing to touch our deepest wounds, to enter our darkest moments,
to experience the ultimate isolation of feeling separated from the Father on
the cross. The healing touch Jesus gave the leper flowed from the wounds he
would accept on Calvary.
Notice too that after healing the leper, Jesus withdraws to pray. Even Jesus,
fully divine, made time for intimate conversation with the Father. This teaches
us that our own healing and our ability to bring Jesus's touch to others flows
from our prayer life. Through the Rosary, we join Mary in pondering these
mysteries, allowing Jesus to touch the "leprosy" in our own lives, our
fears, our sins, our sense of unworthiness, and transform us. Just as Jesus
told the healed man to show himself to the priest, we too are called to bring
our healed selves back into community, to let others see what Jesus has done,
and to extend that same compassionate touch to those who feel untouchable in
our world today.
Questions to Consider:
- What are the areas of "leprosy" in my
own life; the wounds, sins, or shame I'm tempted to hide from Jesus? Am I
willing to approach him with the leper's faith, believing he can make me
clean?
- When have I experienced Jesus "touching"
me in my isolation or suffering? How did that encounter change me?
- How does receiving Jesus in the Eucharist heal and
transform me? Do I approach Communion with the awareness that Jesus is
choosing to enter my brokenness?
- In meditating on the Sorrowful Mysteries,
especially the Agony in the Garden, how does it change my understanding of
Jesus's love to realize he willingly embraced all of humanity's sin and
suffering?
- Who in my life might feel like the leper; isolated,
untouchable, or unworthy? How is Jesus calling me to extend his
compassionate touch to them?
- Like Jesus withdrawing to pray, do I prioritize
time for intimate conversation with God? How might deepening my prayer
life, especially through the Rosary, help me become a more effective
instrument of his healing touch?
©2026 James Dacey, Jr., OFS
