1

 2

 3

 4

 5

5

The utterly filthy hide of leprosy stained his orthodox mind; the affliction crept from without, for within it found no pasture; the body was devoured, but it did not touch the soul; he bore a shameful title, but his fellow-traveler did not draw near; he was full of leprosy, but he hated the lawless Uzziah; the synagogue rejected him, but the Church embraced him; Moses insulted him, but Christ healed him. Here he is healed, and there he is commanded to offer the gifts for the healing. Why? So that both the love for mankind of the Lord Christ might be known, and the love of gain of the money-loving Jews might be revealed. What then says the leper, the refutation of the heterodox? Lord, if you are willing, you can cleanse me. I do not say, "entreat," but "command with authority"; I do not say, "pray," but, "heal." For it is proper to God to heal by his own will, and not by the will of another.

Lord, if you are willing, you can cleanse me. For I heard the prophet saying: Our God is in heaven and on earth; he has done all that he willed. Since, therefore, by your will you brought all things into being, and stretched out the heavens like a hide, and spread out the earth like a linen cloth, and clothed in many forms the things between them; restore to me also the garment of nature, so that I may shun the law as burdensome, but glorify grace as loving mankind, in Christ Jesus our Lord, with the Father and the Holy Spirit, unto the ages of ages. Amen.

5

ἐσπίλωσεν αὐτοῦ τὴν ὀρθόδοξον γνώμην ἡ ὁλόῤῥυπος τῆς λέπρας δορά· ἔξωθεν ἧρπε τὸ πάθος· ἔνδον γὰρ οὐχ εὗρε νομήν· τὸ σῶμα κατεβόσκετο, τῆς δὲ ψυχῆς οὐχ ἥπτετο· ἐφύβριστον τίτλον ἐβάσταζεν, ἀλλ' οὐκ ἤγγισεν ἡ συνοδοιπόρος· πλήρης ἦν λέπρας, ἀλλ' ἐμίσει τὸν παράνομον Ὀζίαν· ἡ συναγωγὴ αὐτὸν ἀπωθεῖτο, ἀλλ' ἡ Ἐκκλησία αὐτὸν περιεπτύσσετο· ὁ Μωϋσῆς αὐτὸν ὕβριζεν, ἀλλ' ὁ Χριστὸς ἐθεράπευσεν. Ὧδε θεραπεύεται, κἀκεῖ τὰ δῶρα τῆς θεραπείας προσφέρειν κελεύεται. ∆ιὰ τί; Ἵνα καὶ τοῦ ∆εσπότου Χριστοῦ τὸ φιλάνθρωπον γνωσθῇ, καὶ τῶν φιλαργύρων Ἰουδαίων τὸ φιλέμπορον φανῇς. Τί οὖν ὁ κακοδόξων ἔλεγχος λεπρός; Κύριε, ἐὰν θέλῃς, δύνασαί με καθαρίσαι. Οὐ λέγω, παρακάλεσον, ἀλλ' αὐθέντισον· οὐ λέγω, πρόσευξαι, ἀλλ', ἴασαι. Ἴδιον γὰρ Θεοῦ ἰδίῳ θελήματι θεραπεύειν, οὐχὶ δὲ ἀλλοτρίῳ νεύματι.

Κύριε, ἐὰν θέλῃς, δύνασαί με καθαρίσαι. Ἤκουσα γὰρ τοῦ προφήτου λέγοντος· Ὁ Θεὸς ἡμῶν ἐν τῷ οὐρανῷ καὶ ἐν τῇ γῇ πάντα ὅσα ἠθέλησεν ἐποίησεν. Ἐπεὶ οὖν πάντα θελήσει παρήγαγες εἰς τὸ εἶναι, καὶ οὐρανοὺς μὲν ἐξέτεινας ὡσεὶ δέῤῥιν, γῆν δὲ ὑφήπλωσας ὡς σινδόνα, τὰ μεταξὺ δὲ τούτων πολυμόρφως ἀμφιάσας· ἀπόδος κἀμοὶ τὸ τῆς φύσεως ἱμάτιον, ὅπως τὸν μὲν νόμον ὡς φορτικὸν ἐκκλίνω, τὴν δὲ χάριν ὡς φιλάνθρωπον δοξάσω, ἐν Χριστῷ Ἰησοῦ τῷ Κυρίῳ ἡμῶν, σὺν τῷ Πατρὶ καὶ τῷ ἁγίῳ Πνεύματι, εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων. Ἀμήν.