40. The Healing of a Leper. Mk. 1:40–45; Lk. 5:12–16

Once, when the Lord Jesus was in a certain city, there came a man full of leprosy; and seeing the Lord Jesus, he fell on his face and begged Him, saying: Lord! if You are willing, You can cleanse me. And Jesus, moved with compassion, stretched out His hand, touched him, and said: I am willing; be cleansed. And immediately the leprosy left him, and he was made clean.

And He charged him strictly and immediately sent him away, and said to him: See that you say nothing to anyone; but go, show yourself to the priest and make an offering for your cleansing, as Moses commanded, as a witness to them. But he went out and began to proclaim it freely and to spread the news abroad; and so the report of the Lord Jesus spread all the more, so that He could no longer go openly into a city, but was outside in isolated places.

And people came to Him from all sides; and great multitudes gathered to hear Him and to be healed by Him of their diseases. But He withdrew to deserted places and prayed.