SEEKING TO TOUCH AND BE TOUCHED
All over the country, there has been an unprecedented growth in the number of therapeutic massage parlors over the recent past. They go by different names and types: Shiatsu, Swedish, Thai, Korean, Pinoy, and so on. In this age characterized by stress induced on all fronts, therapeutic massage provides instant relief and temporary stress alleviation. But as we all know, they bring not just relief but healing, and the said healing is ultimately based on touch – gentle, soothing, tender and healing. One comes out refreshed, renewed and ready to face up to the same round of challenges and obstacles that the daily grind poses to everyone. But the healing that it provides is literally only skin deep, pun intended. It soothes the body but not necessarily the soul. It may provide relief but not total healing.
Nevertheless, people continue to flock to such healing centers. This, in itself, is a sign that there is a sore and a felt need for physical healing. But even greater multitudes flock to healing priests and healing encounters, especially the increasingly popular so called “healing Masses.” This is an even greater sign of a deeper form of healing that goes beyond mere stress relief and deliverance from physical ailments.
Today’s Gospel passage offers us a clear example of the total healing that all of us are looking for. But more than that, it shows us the ultimate source of the total healing we all pine for — no less than the Divine Healer Himself, our Lord Jesus Christ. Yes, it does come from touch, healing touch. But the same Gospel passage shows us more. That touch does not devolve upon the Lord alone. Healing happens when we go out in search for Him, who, at the same time, reaches out to us, in love and compassion.
Like the multitudes that followed the Lord, we need to “seek to touch Him.” We need to do our part. It is not simply lying down there
and allowing oneself to be oiled, kneaded and pampered. Healing takes place when we actively engage the Lord in a dialogue of faith, hope and love. Fr. Chito Dimaranan, SDB
REFLECTION QUESTION: What part of your life needs healing? Where do you go for healing? Why not seek the Ultimate Healer for total healing now?
Lord Jesus, touch my life and heal me — inside and out.
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