Mk 6:53–56
Having crossed the lake, they came ashore at Gennesaret, where they tied up the boat. As soon as they landed, people recognized Jesus, and ran to spread the news throughout the country-side. Wherever he was, they brought to him the sick lying on their mats; and wherever he went, to villages, towns or farms, they laid the sick in the marketplace, and begged him to let them touch just the fringe of his cloak. And all who touched him were cured.
REFLECTION
The power of touch! Touch is the first sense we acquire and the first language of love we understand. It is also considered the secret ingredient in many successful relationships. Studies have shown that abandoned babies who do not experience enough human touch and care can easily get sick, and can even shrivel and die of illness. One research demonstrated that touch can communicate different emotions and that we have an innate ability to decode emotions via touch alone. No wonder, when Jesus healed, he used the power of touch. This is the striking image the gospel presents—Jesus touching the sick to heal them, communicating to them God’s love and care. Without words, the people he touched understood the unspoken language of love, forgiveness, and acceptance; they were made whole again. Were the people in Jesus’ time like us today—not only hungry for food, but also hungry for love? No wonder they were crowding around Jesus because in him their deepest yearning for healing and wholeness were being fulfilled. Jesus invites us to approach him, to allow him to touch us in our depths so we may be healed of our doubts, that God truly loves us.
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