Our Lord had just finished preaching upon the mountain, and was coming down, when the leper approached Him. Our Lord preached upon the mountain to those who were able to rise up to the heights of spirituality. He then descended the mountain and the heights of spirituality to speak to the lowly and the unclean. It is here that we see the leper. He was among the unclean and was therefore unable to rise to the heights of the mountain. Everyone was forbidden to touch those with leprosy because there was always the danger of the disease being transferred from the diseased to the healthy. Jesus, however, upon touching the leper did not risk contamination, but rather brought healing and health to the diseased man.
The leper had not ascended the mountain, nor had he heard firsthand the words of God, nonetheless he says: "Lord, if You will" He recognised in Jesus the power and the authority to heal him. All that was necessary was for Jesus to will it and it is done. This Jesus affirms when He says, "I will." Then He healed him and further added: "Be thou made clean." We see and note that faith preceded the miracle.
After the healing of the leper, then we see the approach of the centurion. The centurion comes to Jesus with the same faith. He recognizes that the Will of Jesus is all that is necessary for the accomplishment of his request. "Only, say the word and my servant will be healed." The centurion's request is perhaps nobler than the leper's, because his request is for his servant and not for himself or his immediate family. Some have intimated that the centurion is concerned for his servant because of monetary reasons. That is: the loss of a servant would represent a great financial loss. The Fathers of the Church tell us that this is not the case. The centurion was concerned for the health of his servant because he loved his servant. His servant was a part of his family; he loved and cared for the servant as he would for himself or his own son. This noble love was a necessary part of the merit of the centurion, but is often overlooked. Our attention is often directed to his beautiful words that have been adapted for our use before the reception of Our Lord in the Holy Eucharist: "Only say the word and my soul (servant) will be healed."
There is something more than the superficial understanding of the faith and humility implied in these words. There is also a profound charity associated with this faith and humility. As we imitate this centurion's faith and humility, we are also to recall his charity. It is useless for us to receive Our Lord in the words and manner of the centurion if we lack his charity. Our Lord tells us that when we come to the altar and there remember that our brother has anything against us, that we should first go and reconcile ourselves with him and then come back to offer our gift to Him. We are unacceptable to God if we do not have charity with one another. How can we claim to love God Whom we cannot see, if we will not love our brother whom we can see?
When we come to Mass we come as the leper — filled with sin. God has descended from Heaven to the earth. He approaches us as He descended from the mountain to the leper. Christ has come to us, now we must approach Him as the leper. We must recognize our own unworthiness (uncleanness) and repeat with the leper: "If Thou willest, Thou can make me clean." When we approach Him in the Holy Eucharist, we approach Him as the centurion, even making his words our own: "Only say the word and my soul will be healed." Above all this, or as a prerequisite for this, we must be filled with love.
It is love that covers a multitude of sins. It is charity that obtains forgiveness. Without charity we cannot receive forgiveness nor the healing of the leper; and without charity, we cannot obtain the grace of faith and healing of the centurion.
All things are possible for God; and for those that love Him, all things work for their own good. It was therefore not really an evil that befell the leper or the centurion or even the centurion's servant. These apparent evils were actually great goods by which they merited even more immense goodness. God is well aware of all our crosses, burdens and difficulties. Even more than being aware of them, He has willed them for us, or allowed them for us; so that we may ever increase in virtue. If it were not for the disease of leprosy, the leper would never have obtained his bodily health, or even more importantly, spiritual health. The same can be said of the centurion. If the centurion's servant was not ill, he would never have approached God and obtained such wonderful things.
We must not allow our crosses and burdens to wear us down, but rather understand them as gifts or graces to spur us on to growth in grace and wisdom. In our sins, let us approach God as the leper did. In the pain of our hearts caused by love, let us approach God as the centurion did. In both instances let us remain humble, yet filled with faith and trust in God.