“Sacraments are like hoses. They are the channels of the living water of God's grace. Our faith is like opening the faucet. We can open it a lot, a little, or not at all.”

In the life of the body a man is sometimes sick, and unless he takes medicine, he will die. Even so in the spiritual life a man is sick on account of sin. For that reason he needs medicine so that he may be restored to health; and this grace is bestowed in the Sacrament of Penance. - St. Thomas Aquinas: (1225 – 1274: was an Italian Dominican friar, Catholic priest, and Doctor of the Church.)

Gospel Text: (MT 8:1-4)

When Jesus came down from the mountain, great crowds followed him.

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.

Then Jesus said to him, "See that you tell no one,

but go show yourself to the priest,

and offer the gift that Moses prescribed;

that will be proof for them."

In today’s gospel Jesus cures a person with leprosy.  We might think, “Well, that has nothing to do with me.  I don’t have leprosy.”

Think for a moment…  What is eating away at our society?  What are the cures?

At Mass we bring up bread and wine.  We ask the Holy Spirit to come upon this bread and wine and transform it into the Body and Blood of Christ.  This bread and wine represent all of us present.  We ask the Holy Spirit to come upon us and transform us more and more into the likeness of Christ.  Then, nourished by Word and Sacrament, we who were once part of the problem are sent forth to be part of the cure.  The Body of Christ is one powerful body of healers!