THE FIRST MARTYRS OF HOLY ROMAN CHURCH (OPTIONAL MEMORIAL)

He . . . touched him, and said, “I will do it.”

Picture the scene: a man bows before Jesus and says, in effect, “I believe that, if you want to, you have the power to heal me.” Then, with great tenderness and love, Jesus reaches out and says simply, “I will do it” (Matthew 8:3). You’re right. I can heal you—and I want to.

Jesus was willing. Not because this fellow asked, but because Jesus is willing to heal every area of human lives—sickness, anxiety, resentment, wounded relationships, long-standing sin patterns, everything. He is willing to bring his healing touch to every aspect of our lives.

Every time Jesus reached out and healed someone, he offered another sign of the kingdom he had come to inaugurate. By the simple power of touch, he showed that the division between God and his people—a division created by sin, a division that is at the root of all human suffering—had been bridged. Then, when he let sinful men lay hands on him and crucify him, he showed just how far he was willing to go in order to bring us, whole and healed, into his kingdom.

Jesus wasn’t put off by the idea of living among frail, fallen, selfish, wounded human beings. He wasn’t afraid to touch anyone who came to him, neither the most sinful nor the most contagious. He loved his people—he loves us—too much to withhold his grace from us. We may not always receive the healing we want, but we always receive the healing we need. We may not always receive every healing we expect, but we will always receive the one healing that answers all our longings: the healing power of Jesus’ presence.

Don’t ever think that Jesus is reluctant to help you! Don’t ever think that there’s some area in your life that makes him unwilling to come and touch you! Instead, bow before him as the man in today’s Gospel did, and say, “Lord, if you wish, you can make me clean.” Imagine looking into his eyes and hearing him say, “I will do it.” Then watch to see what he does.

“Jesus, I believe that you want nothing but good for me. Lord, I trust in the healing power of your love!”

Genesis 17:1, 9-10, 15-22
Psalm 128:1-5
Matthew 8:1-4