The Gospel for today’s Mass is the story of the woman who was possessed by a spirit “that drained her strength and she was badly stooped and incapable of standing erect.” St. Luke tells us that when Jesus saw her he called to her and said, “Woman, you are free of your infirmity. He laid his hand on her, and immediately she stood up straight and began thanking God.”
It is so wonderful to think of Jesus calling the woman to himself, that he laid his hand on her and she was healed. This was a very personal encounter, a one-on-one meeting with God! Jesus didn’t look on her from a distance and “zap” her from afar! He was right there, in front of her – He touched her!
Sometimes we think that God is distant, that we are alone and he is not there for us. Nothing could be further from the truth. There is another interesting thing about this Gospel. Jesus healed this woman on the Sabbath – on the Lord’s Day! For us it would be like Jesus healed her on Sunday!
As I was praying about this Gospel that fact really struck me. The woman was in the synagogue on the Lord’s Day so Jesus was able to encounter her there. So, so many of us have a hard time being in the Lord’s presence on Sunday, being available to him. If we make it to Mass we are often absent in our thoughts and in our participation. We run out the door and we are off to all the activities that crowd our day. It’s no wonder that we run the risk of being spiritually stooped and bound up in our emotional and spiritual infirmities.
Sunday is the Lord’s Day. It belongs to Him. He waits for us in the Eucharist, to touch us, to speak to us, to heal us. But alas we are often mentally too busy! But yet - He waits!
It is so wonderful to think of Jesus calling the woman to himself, that he laid his hand on her and she was healed. This was a very personal encounter, a one-on-one meeting with God! Jesus didn’t look on her from a distance and “zap” her from afar! He was right there, in front of her – He touched her!
Sometimes we think that God is distant, that we are alone and he is not there for us. Nothing could be further from the truth. There is another interesting thing about this Gospel. Jesus healed this woman on the Sabbath – on the Lord’s Day! For us it would be like Jesus healed her on Sunday!
As I was praying about this Gospel that fact really struck me. The woman was in the synagogue on the Lord’s Day so Jesus was able to encounter her there. So, so many of us have a hard time being in the Lord’s presence on Sunday, being available to him. If we make it to Mass we are often absent in our thoughts and in our participation. We run out the door and we are off to all the activities that crowd our day. It’s no wonder that we run the risk of being spiritually stooped and bound up in our emotional and spiritual infirmities.
Sunday is the Lord’s Day. It belongs to Him. He waits for us in the Eucharist, to touch us, to speak to us, to heal us. But alas we are often mentally too busy! But yet - He waits!
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