Word to the Wise
Monday, February 8, 2010 - Monday in the Fifth Week in Ordinary Time
[1 Kings 8:1-7, 9-13 and Mark 6:53-56]Whatever villages or towns or countryside he entered, they laid the sick in the marketplaces and begged him that they might touch only the tassel on his cloak; and as many as touched it were healed. [Mark]
The Gospel of Mark, in recounting the vivid scenes of Jesus' healing ministry, intends to demonstrate the growing popularity of his work and the power of his person. All a person has to do is to touch the very tassel of his cloak! I have met individuals who, for various reasons, felt that the most they could do would be to touch that tassel. They did not feel they could approach Jesus directly and ask for help! Still others are looking for whatever healing may be possible. I have visited Lourdes and participated in the powerful procession of the sick at the end of the day. I have also visited the large waiting room at St. Jude Children's Hospital in Memphis and witnessed the hope and despair written on the faces of parents and children! Wounds and illnesses can be of many kinds: physical, spiritual, emotional. Some of them may be cured, some not, but all of them are subject to healing, which is something all of us can offer in varying degrees. I've known people who had very little religious faith and who were in need of healing to reach out to the one person of faith they know. Just the assurance that I am praying for them has a healing effect. Sometimes it is not the assurance of prayers but simply the assurance of touch and companionship in a difficult time! What all of us need to realize is that often WE may be the tassels on Jesus' cloak! AMEN
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