Monday of 5th Week, even numbered year
“And wherever he went, to village or town or farm, they laid down the sick in the open spaces, begging him to let them touch even the fringe of his cloak. And all those who touched him were saved.”
The disciples are still in a state of shock over the difficult crossing they had had to get to the coast after the storm, but still people run from all over the place to be in Jesus’ Presence. In those who are faltering, he awakens life, and the life of Jesus brings a marvellous gift: ’they put people on the open places and they begged him to touch them and all those who touched him were saved."
For those who approach Jesus with faith, miracles can come about through the tiniest contact with Him. His Healing Powers overflow from his loving Heart and spreads even to his clothes.
In Holy Communion, we are absolutely sure that this contact with Jesus can operate miracles in our life. We do more than ’touch the fringe of his garments’ : we really do receive the Body of Christ in our own bodies.
Saint Ignatius of Antioch saw this reality in the Eucharist : ’the medicine of immortality and the antidote of against death, obtaining what we ought to live in Jesus.’ Jesus plunges his friends into a great movement of life received from the origins. Following him, we have the possibility to see and listen to the marvels which God does! The variety of everything given to us on earth, the variety of flowers, birds, fish…is so impressive.
"People started hurrying all throughout the countryside and brought the sick on stretchers to wherever they heard Jesus was.
As Jesus passes through crowds, every single person feels loved and receives recognition from Him. What often happens when we go through ordeals and feel that things are lacking is that we become more attentive to Creation and more present to each other! Being healed by Jesus in the Eucharist implies that we go beyond all that turns us in on ourselves. The Reality of the Eucharist is a remedy against individualism and selfishness which characterise daily life, it
has us discover the gratuitous aspect of our relationships with a particular concern to bring about comfort to those who are in most need of care.
We can so rapidly get used to the reality given to us by taking it as something that is owed to us! We forget then to consider it quite simply as a gift offered to us and we forget to give thanks to God and thank him for his gifts and protection. At the heart of Creation, ’man and woman’ created by God is the most marvellous reality which God has created in this universe which is so beautiful.
“And wherever Jesus went, to village or town or farm, they laid down the sick in the open spaces, begging him to let them touch even the fringe of his cloak. And all those who touched him were saved.”
When we take into consideration all these marvellous realities, we never stop giving thanks. We cannot not say what we have seen and heard, for we are all in need of the Saviour. We know that we can shine forth His grace, people who don’t yet know of Him can see Him in our radiant faces.
Jesus healed them all, especially those ’dropped off’ in front of him, the most in need of healing. If we consider hard times as being something precious to us it’s is because they place us before the reality of the Infinite Love given to us by God.
God’s Infinite Love brings about marvels and the flow of life re-appears. In healing us, God places us once more at the heart of Creation which is such a marvellous reality. We give thanks to the Creator and to Jesus who manifests it. We contemplate the faith of the inhabitants of this region that Jesus travelled through for the salvation of souls. The Lord is master of our soul and of our body, we make ourselves available to all so as to bring them close to Jesus.