“I do will it. Be made clean.”

Moved with pity, Jesus stretched out His hand and touched the man. The leprosy left the man... and he was made clean.”

This famous passage tells us in very few words the entire History of Salvation: Jesus Christ’s hands are the hands of God reaching out to all humanity so that we may come out of the leprosy of sin, and come back to our place of peace and holiness near God. Leprosy was and still is a serious skin ailment, not necessarily leprosy of Hansen’s disease. What Moses prescribed is found the Old Testament Book of Leviticus (Lev. 14:17-20ff). When a person became afflicted, he or she first had to be presented to the priest, and then be declared unclean by the priest.

The stricken man would have to live apart from family and community; any contact with this afflicted person made others also unclean. Those who were unclean were not allowed to enter the temple. To be cleansed or cured, the priest offered the sacrifice of a lamb in atonement for the sin of the afflicted one.

Jesus’ reaching out to touch the leper, would have made Him unclean in the eyes of those around Him. Jesus our Savior reaches out to touch us and make us clean. Jesus is the Priest and the sacrificial Lamb, “who takes away the sin of the world,” and removes that which most afflicts us in our very being.

We can experience this in especially in the healing Sacrament of Confession, where Jesus trades places with us and takes our sins away.

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The Holy Season of Lent Starts on Wed, Feb 14: The Journey To Jerusalem

We begin this Holy Season of Lent, what I call the serious time of the year. Use it as a time to be healed and cleansed. As we prepare for Ash Wednesday this week, reflect on the wounds that we bring to the Lord during this season. Jesus is ready to stretch out His hand to heal us in the Sacrament of Reconciliation. And let us consider what we can do to offer acts of reparation so that we might be purified and one day partake in the resurrection of Christ.

But Jesus was different. He loved lepers; He touched them and healed them when they had no hope at all. Yes, Jesus is different. He loves sinners; He touches us and heals us when we have no hope at all, and we are called to treat everyone in a similar way. That is part of what Lent is all about, getting us to alter our lives so that we are willing to love others.

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Ash Wednesday Masses: 7:00 & 8:30AM; 12:00pm & 6:00PM

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The 2024 Charity & Development Appeal: The Lord Heals the Brokenhearted

As many of you know, the CDA is the annual appeal that supports well over 70 offices, groups, charities, ministries and apostolates in the Diocese of Phoenix. Since 1970, every year, families are asked to prayerfully consider how much they will pledge to help others, acting as the heart and hands of Jesus.

Open your heart to the CDA this year.

Fr. Kilian, Fr. Williams, our Deacons and our great Parish Staff, Disciples and Volunteers

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