Homily for Friday of the 12th Week in Ordinary Time

Among the “untouchables” in Jesus’ day were lepers. They could not be touched for fear of contamination. Through a simple touch, the disease could pass to other people. The community protected itself by forcing lepers to live apart from them and allowing them to have contact only with other lepers.

 In today’s Gospel, though, Jesus did touch the leper. Rather than being contaminated by the leper’s touch, His touch would heal the leper. The leper had approached Jesus cautiously requesting, “LORD, if you wish, you can make me clean.” But there was nothing cautious about Jesus’ response: “I will do it.”

Jesus does not hesitate to touch our lives, even their most unattractive parts. The Risen LORD has no fear of being contaminated by us. He fully immerses Himself into our personal and communal situations with His healing and life-giving touch. All that is required for Him to do that is for us to approach Him, as did the leper and invite Him into our lives and our souls.+