Fr. Lawrence Jagdfeld, O.F.M., Administrator
One can hardly blame the way the people of Jesus' time reacted to his power to heal and cure. I am sure that most people who suffer from a chronic illness or disability have dreamed of what it would be like to have Jesus touch us and heal us or cure the illness which we carry. Even though Jesus' principle ministry was to preach, even he could not resist the urge to ease the suffering of the people who were brought to him. The Gospel passage for today records the fact that people were cured simply by touching the tassel of his cloak.
The history of the Church is filled with stories of miraculous healings and curing at the hands of many who we call saints. In fact the process of beatification and canonization requires at least two miracles. Such miracles seem always to have something to do with immediate healing and curing. The tomb of one of the most popular saints, Saint Anthony of Padua, is still the object of pilgrimage for many who are ill or disabled. The fountain at Lourdes is also regarded as a place of healing. Such places might be regarded the "tassel of his cloak," just as remote to the person of Jesus as was that small embellishment to Jesus' robes.
However, we might also see another person as that tassel, that connection. The power of Jesus to heal did not vanish when he ascended to the Father. The healing touch of Jesus is imparted by anyone who extends that touch of love.
Just the other day I was reading a letter to one of the advice columnists which are common to our daily newspapers. The letter came from a woman who had just come through a serious surgery. She was dismayed that none of the people whom she counts as her good friends made any effort to contact her during her hospital stay or her time of recuperation at home. She could not understand how people that she considered her friends could have, in her own words, abandoned her.
The columnist responded with a truth that those who bear the cross of illness or disability know all too well. Illness and disability isolate people. It is part of the human condition. The next time we hear that Jesus healed with a simple touch, it would do us well to consider that we can impart the same kind of loving touch ourselves.