To Pray, To Touch, To Heal

The Fifth Sunday of Epiphany, Year B

Readings: Isaiah 40:21-31; Psalm 147:1-12, 21c; 1 Corinthians 9:16-23; Mark 1:29-39

When I visited the Holy Land, one of the scenes that came alive to me was the story in today’s Gospel. We visited Capernaum where we stood on the site of the Synagogue. We walked across the road to a church built above a small house, believed to be that of Simon. There we read the passage of the healing of Simon’s mother.

Jesus was teaching in the synagogue in Capernaum. He and his disciples left the synagogue and walked the few steps to the house of Simon and Andrew. Simon's mother-in-law was in bed with a fever. When the others told him about her illness, he did not hesitate for a moment. He went in to her, took her by the hand and lifted her up. The fever left her. She began to minister to their needs. The one who is healed becomes the one who serves.

The story calls out for a response on our part, for it serves as a pattern for the Christian life. The woman, who is brought to Jesus by others, is given new life and responds with service. Her restoration is immediate and complete. She is in touch with God. She becomes the deacon, the one called to a position of service. Women did not traditionally serve at the table, yet that is her response to the healing that has taken place in her life.

However, the story does not end there. It is just the beginning. Later that evening the crowds gathered around the door of the little home. As Jesus’ fame spread like wildfire, the place quickly filled up. It seemed as if everyone was there. They came out of desperation. They came in their neediness. Jesus healed many who were sick, and cast out many demons.

The life of wholeness in the Christian requires a response; it requires action on our part. The story is a graphic reminder of the desperate need of the masses of people in our world. It is a graphic picture of the one who is able to provide healing and fulfillment for those needs. What the Gospel calls us to remember, and what we too often forget, is that this same Christ applies his divine touch to the ailments of suffering people in and around us today. What is more, he does it through us. We who receive God’s healing grace are called to reach out to others with Christ’s healing touch.

"We live in another age," you may say. "We don't believe in that kind of thing any more. We don't expect miracles. I mean, get real. In Jesus’ time they believed in demons and heaven only knows what else!"

Yet even the medical community is finds itself accepting the role that faith has in healing. They are more likely to consider that healing has to do with a better outlook on life, but they agree that Spiritual wellness is an important aspect of healing. Historically science has not embraced the connection between faith and health but an increasing number of scientific authorities acknowledge that spiritual practices, including prayer, worship, and service to others, influence our health. It comes from a new holistic sensitivity that has made medicine re-examine its perspectives. It comes too from examining stories of miraculous cures.

The gospel calls us to reflect on what keeps us from wholeness. What demons afflict us? Do we have worries and fears that keep us from being truly alive? Do we have bad habits and unhealthy practices that nag at us? Do we have weaknesses or compulsions that we know keep us from God?

We know that we must trust medical science. After all, God uses the skills of doctors and nurses to bring about healing. However, we must also recognize the healing power of God. As Christians we believe that the healing power of God is present in every celebration of the Eucharist. In the Prayers of the People Sunday by Sunday we bring our own needs and those of others before God. We offer the ministry of reconciliation, recognizing the connection between wholeness and being right with God and with the community. We offer the reserved sacrament to shut ins and those who are sick. And in the tradition of the early church, many congregations offer anointing with oil. Using holy oils consecrated by the bishop at a special service during Lent, they anoint and lay hands on the sick and on those who are in need.

When people came to Jesus for healing, Jesus said that he did not come only to heal sick people, but to bring wholeness to the world. He came to change the world in such a way that sickness would disappear. He asked them to look for the reasons for so much of the sickness in our society and to change their priorities.

That continues to be our call as Christians. Some mission sisters went from Europe to start a clinic in an impoverished area in Africa. People came bringing their children. The clinic was successful, but the sisters wondered whether they were doing the right thing. Almost all of the cases they treated were children suffering from diarrhea. It dehydrated them, so the sisters would treat them overnight, and it would seem like a miraculous recovery. Yet they knew that the cause of the sickness was the drinking water. They knew that treating the symptoms was not the answer. They knew they needed to prevent the disease. They started visiting people in their homes and addressing community groups to bring about a change in lifestyle for the people

Exploring the whole process of healing is important to us as Christians. We need an awareness of the power of God to heal. And we need to recognize our neediness before God. Like Jesus we need to take time out of our busy lives to renew our strength. That, it seems to me is the key to wholeness. Jesus knew that there were times when he needed to withdraw from the crowds. How many times do we read in Scripture that he withdrew to a lonely place to pray? That is no mistake. There, in the quiet, he came in touch with the source of his power. There he renewed his strength.

How important it is for us in our busy lives to withdraw for prayer, to be in touch with God. To know God. To recharge our batteries. To be alone. To be renewed.

How can we find the power, the inner joy and peace, the spiritual health to keep ourselves strong and motivated and whole through the difficult times of our lives? How do we sustain the life of our congregation? How can we channel power and peace and joy to the difficult people and situations all about us? It begins with the closeness of our walk with God. It is through allowing God to keep in touch with us through Word and Sacrament, through prayer and praise. Then God will be able to work in and through us for the wholeness of the world.

I need your divine touch, O Lord. Only then can I be what you want me to be. Have your way in me and through me today. Amen.