You need to be healed, to be rescued, to be saved: and only Jesus Christ is the Savior: Commentary Fr. Jorge Miró

Father Jorge Miró shares with Exaudi readers his commentary on today’s Gospel, Sunday, February 11, 2024, titled “You need to be healed, to be rescued, to be saved: and only Jesus Christ is the Savior”

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The Word of God that we proclaim today tells us about the healing of a leper: If you want, you can cleanse me, says the leper to Jesus. I want him to be clean, Jesus answers, touching him with his hand and curing him of leprosy.

Leprosy was a fearsome disease that disfigured the person, who was declared impure and was excluded from the town, for fear of contagion.

But what does this gospel want to say to us today?

Last Wednesday the Lord reminded us that what makes man impure is the sin that comes from the heart of man.

And that sin – disobeying God’s law, the Commandments – disfigures the image of God that we are through Creation and damages communion with the community.

Furthermore, the Word reminds us of something important: you cannot save yourself, you cannot heal yourself. You need to be healed, to be rescued, to be saved: and only Jesus Christ is the Savior.

And for this reason, the Word invites us that you and I, like the leper, humbly approach Jesus, and beg him: If you want, you can cleanse me If you want. The leper does not demand, he begs. Everything is a gift, everything is grace.

The Lord invites you not to stay looking at yourself and regretting your wounds and ailments. He invites you to look up and open your heart to Him, and give Him all your ailments: your wounds, your sufferings, your weaknesses, your helplessness, your sins… Only He can heal you. No one loves you like He does!

Christ is the true “doctor” of humanity, whom the heavenly Father sent into the world to heal man, marked in body and spirit by sin and its consequences.

Every time has its “leprosy” and its diseases. In ours they are there and in a very loud way. Who are the “lepers” of our days? The victims of the throwaway culture, especially the people who are victims of new forms of “slavery”, those who do not find meaning in their lives, those who have lost all hope, those who live dejected by the weight of their sins and believe that Those who suffer from open wounds that cannot be healed cannot come out of their prostration…

Pope Francis frequently reminds us that today the Church is called to be a “field hospital.”

We are called to experience the love, forgiveness and compassion of Jesus with us and called to live that compassion with our suffering brother.

The Lord invites you today to lend your voice to announce the Good News to those who suffer; your hands to bind up torn hearts; your heart to love those whom no one loves; your feet to be a messenger who announces the peace that comes from the Lord, to be able to reintegrate everyone into the family of God.

Come Holy Spirit!​