If You Wish: Praying Like the Leper
And then a leper approached, did him homage, and said, “Lord, if you wish, you can make me clean.” He stretched out his hand, touched him, and said,“I will do it. Be made clean.” His leprosy was cleansed immediately. ~Mt 8:2-3
This scene is portrayed so beautiful in The Chosen, with some artistic license, of course, but the essence of the interaction is vivid and relatable. You can check out the official clip here, the first two minutes is enough.
Let’s try to enter the scene.
You have been destitute. No one wants to touch you. No one wants to be near you. They see you, and they run away. You are hungry but no one will ever give you work or chance to make a living. Your choices: lie, steal, eat dirt, or die. What would you choose? How long would you keep it up?
In the scene, we can see the desperation in the man’s face. We can hear the last drop of hope fading away. Yet, beyond his expressions, the pain, and the suffering, we can sense faith and humility.
He didn’t demand, he proposed: “if you wish…”
Most of us fail to acknowledge the weight of those words. The implication is that we are willing to accept all the consequences of a rejection. We are willing to continue on after a refusal. If I am in such a dire situation, completely alienated from the world, would I still have the will to go on after my last hope for healing rejects my request?
To his blessing, Jesus responds: “I will do it.”
How often do we pray presuming that all we ask must be given? How often do we think that because we are faithful Mass attenders and “model disciples” we deserve our wishes to be granted? How often do we approach God with a sense of entitlement?
The story doesn’t end at healing, it continues into obedience. It’s fulfilled when the leper rejoins the community by making the proper offering as prescribed by the law of Moses.
To a modern listener, “…offer the gift that Moses prescribed…” (verse 4) can sound like a simple gift or a small monetary donation. But it was much more involved. The law is found in Leviticus 14:1-32 and it is a ritual spanning eight days and requires two clean live birds, cedarwood, yarn, hyssop, three lambs, flour, and olive oil. For the poor, the modified version allowed for two turtledoves or pigeons, a male lamb, and smaller portions of grain and oil.
My takeaways are:
- I must approach prayer humbly and willing to fully accept “No” as the answer.
- Proper thanksgiving must be given after the answer is received. Sometimes, that thanskgiving looks like significant effort.
Holy Spirit, teach us to pray with the disposition of the leper’s “if You wish” with sincerity, surrender, and peace. Whether the answer is yes, no, or not yet, give us the courage to show our gratitude through obedience and faithful follow-through.
In peace,
~Juan
