A leper came to Jesus and kneeling down begged him and said, ‘If you wish, you can make me clean.’ Moved with pity, he stretched out his hand, touched him, and said to him, ‘I do will it. Be made clean.’” Leprosy was a terrible disease, very contagious. Back then there was no cure for it, so a person that showed signs of leprosy was chased away from the town and had to stay away from everyone, even from relatives and friends. In most cases the person would end her or his life alone in great pain. “If you wish, Jesus, you can make me clean” we hear today from this poor man, and yes, Jesus wanted him to be clean and to go back to his family and daily tasks. In a very similar way, sin is like leprosy. When we live in sin, we are separating ourselves from God and from another person. Sin is also very contagious. Only Jesus can make us clean by His healing touch and forgiveness. Whenever we sin, we can’t remain in that sin; we must ask Jesus, just like that leper, if you wish, you can make me clean.
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