Gospel Reflection 2020/2021

Jesus heals.

In the Gospels, there are many occasions when Jesus performs healing miracles – the lame walks, the dumb speaks, the deaf hears, the blind sees, the paralyzed gets up, the sick recovers and the leper is cleansed… Jesus is like a walking hospital, going around and curing all the sick who come to Him.

Yes, Jesus the Son of the Living God has the power to heal us. He does not come only to heal the physically sick. He has come to heal all who are unwell. The healing He offers is multi-dimensional, encompassing all the essential human aspects – the physical, psychological, emotional, memory and spiritual.

However, all healings in the Gospels require the desire to be healed – Jesus only heals whoever desires His healing. He does not force us love Him because coercion is not love at all. And we must have the humility to acknowledge that we are unclean and unwell because He is the Divine Physician who has come, not for the healthy, but for the sick.

“Of course I want to!”

Such is Jesus’ desire and eagerness to heal us. He is always ready to come to us, to touch us and to heal us. We may desire to be healed but Jesus’ desire to heal us always precedes and outweighs our desire to be healed.

When we sincerely pray for God’s healing, we might not receive the expected instantaneous physical relief or recovery. But it does not mean that God has abandoned us – because more often than not other forms of healing (psychological, emotional, memory and spiritual) might have already taken place.

Jesus can heal through His mighty words, through His intent gaze into our souls, or through His healing touch. Sometimes, Jesus heals by using something or nothing at all. His healing power can reach the near and even the far. And His healing can be instantaneous or gradual. We will surely be healed if we have faith in Him.

"Be healed!"

The healing from Jesus is miracle, never magic. Miracle requires our openness to God, our cooperation with His grace, and our allowing Him to take charge of our life. Magic, on the other hand, is our futile attempt to be the gods of our own destiny.

Yes, the healing we desire from Jesus – which is God’s miracle – will come to those who wait in hope, in His time, in His way, and in accordance to His will.

Let our fervent prayer be:

“Purge me, Lord, and I shall be clean.

Heal me, Lord, and I shall be healed.”