Jesus stretched out his hand, touched him, and said,
“I do will it. Be made clean.”
Luke 5:13
It happened that there was a man full of leprosy in one of the towns where Jesus was; and when he saw Jesus, he fell prostrate, pleaded with him, and said, “Lord, if you wish, you can make me clean.”
Jesus stretched out his hand, touched him, and said, “I do will it. Be made clean.” And the leprosy left him immediately.
Then he ordered him not to tell anyone, but “Go, show yourself to the priest and offer for your cleansing what Moses prescribed; that will be proof for them.”
The report about him spread all the more, and great crowds assembled to listen to him and to be cured of their ailments, but he would withdraw to deserted places to pray. -- Luke 5:12-16
Mark's Version:
A leper came to him and kneeling down begged him and said, “If you wish, you can make me clean.” Moved with pity, he stretched out his hand, touched the leper, and said to him, “I do will it. Be made clean.”
The leprosy left him immediately, and he was made clean. Then, warning him sternly, he dismissed him at once. Then he said to him, “See that you tell no one anything, but go, show yourself to the priest and offer for your cleansing what Moses prescribed; that will be proof for them.”
The man went away and began to publicize the whole matter. He spread the report abroad so that it was impossible for Jesus to enter a town openly. He remained outside in deserted places, and people kept coming to him from everywhere. -- Mark 1:40-45
Lord, If you Wish . . .
Submitting or surrendering oneself to the will of God is an act that moves the Lord to work miracles in our lives. In the case of the leper, it is very easy and simple to just say "Lord, heal me" but instead, he first offered himself to the mercy of God by saying "If you wish".
This powerful statement is also similar to what our Blessed Mother Mary said when angel Gabriel announced to her that she will give birth to our Lord. Her response was "May it be done to me according to your Word" (Luke 1:38).
The power of God's Work to do the impossible such as curing an incurable disease or giving a child to a woman who has no relationship with a man comes from an act of surrendering oneself to the will of God. It is an admission that there are things that we can not possibly do on our own and a need for the Lord's intervention.
Friend, nothing is impossible with God. You may be in a situation where you seem to be hopeless or could not find the right solutions to your problems. Trust in the Lord who is always with you and wants the best for you. Surrender yourself to His will and cast all your burdens upon Him. The Lord will surely work great miracles in your life.
"For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in him should have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.” -- John 6:40
Published:
January 11, 2013, 6:52AM
