Today, we hear two readings that speak to the powerful love of God and the healing power of Jesus Christ in our lives. Of course, any healing we receive from God, comes from his infinite love for us.
In the first reading from Hosea, we are reminded of God's fidelity and mercy towards his people. God desires to be in a loving relationship with us, to "espouse us" in right and justice, in love and mercy. This is a beautiful picture of the love that God has for us, a love that is pure and faithful. He speaks to Israel of Old, and the new Israel which is us, the Church as a husband would speak to his bride whom he loves and cherishes. His language is poetic: “I will espouse you to me forever: I will espouse you in right and in justice, in love and in mercy; I will espouse you in fidelity, and you shall know the LORD” Hosea 2:19.
In the Gospel reading from Matthew, we see Jesus demonstrating his love and power. The official begs him to come to his daughter's bedside, convinced that if Jesus simply touches her, she will be healed. “My daughter has just died. But come, lay your hand on her, and she will live” Matthew 9:18. And Jesus does just that - he takes her hand and brings her back to life. But it's not just the official's daughter who is healed - it's also the woman who has been bleeding for 12 years, who simply touches Jesus' cloak and is cured.
These two readings remind us of the power of God's love and the healing power of Jesus Christ. Just as God desires to be in a loving relationship with us, just as he desires to "espouse" us in his love, so too does Jesus desire to heal our bodies and souls. And just as he did in the stories we heard today, he desires to touch our lives, to bring us back to life.
But how does he do this? In any way he so desires, let there be no doubt, but a lot of times, He heals us through the Sacraments which he has left us. As we read in the Catechism of the Catholic Church, there are two sacraments in particular which have been given to us for this end: “The Lord Jesus Christ, physician of our souls and bodies, who forgave the sins of the paralytic and restored him to bodily health, has willed that his Church continue, in the power of the Holy Spirit, his work of healing and salvation, even among her own members. This is the purpose of the two sacraments of healing: the sacrament of Penance and the sacrament of Anointing of the Sick” (CCC 1421).
I can attest to the healing power of Christ both personally in the reception of the Sacrament of Reconciliation, when absolved by the priest’s prayer invoking the merits of Christ’s passion I have been healed and restored numerous times, and also as a priest myself in the administration of both this sacrament and the Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick, I have been witness to miracles of healing and can attest that the Lord still heals today, whenever it is his will for the here and now. I say, for the here and now, because we know that the ultimate healing will come to us in paradise, where our Lord has promised that there will be no more pain, no tears, and no death in heaven. So, these two, are the healing sacraments. But what about the Holy Eucharist? Are people not healed through the Eucharistic presence of our Lord as well? Absolutely. The Catechism also affirms the healing purpose of the Eucharist. The Eucharist brings about spiritual healing by cleansing us from sin and restoring us in charity. In the Catechism, this effect of the Eucharist is compared to the effect of natural food. “As bodily nourishment restores lost strength, so the Eucharist strengthens our charity, which tends to be weakened in daily life; and this living charity wipes away venial sins” (CCC 1394).
Brothers and sisters, the greatest healing we are in need of, is the healing from sins as it is worse than a cancer which slowly eats away at our mortal bodies. Sin eats away at our immortal soul. The Catechism goes on to quote St. Ambrose, who speaks of the Eucharist as a remedy for sin and concludes, “Because I always sin, I should always have a remedy.” The Catechism also teaches that “the Eucharist preserves us from future mortal sins,” though “it is not ordered to the forgiveness of mortal sins [which] is proper to the sacrament of Reconciliation” (CCC 1395). The Eucharist does not have the same healing purpose as the sacrament of Reconciliation, but it does have a healing purpose. Through this reception of Jesus’ Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity, we are healed - our bodies are nourished, our souls are fed, and our spirits are lifted. But it's not just about what we receive - it's also about how we receive it. Do we approach the Eucharist with faith, like the woman who touched Jesus' cloak in today’s gospel? Do we believe that he is truly present among us, truly capable of healing our deepest wounds? Or do we approach him with doubt or indifference? Do we truly feel loved by him? This is one of the reasons Saint Paul strongly pleads with us to distinguish the Eucharist, the consecrated host we consume in a state of grace, from the daily foods that we receive every day.
While God does give us this daily food for our bodily sustenance, he nevertheless has provided the greater food, the Bread that has come down from Heaven, for our immortal and everlasting life in him.
As we prepare to receive the Eucharist today and beyond, let us remember the words of Jesus: "Your faith has saved you." May our faith be strong enough to receive him fully, to receive his healing power and his loving presence. May our hearts be open to his touch, and may we be transformed by his love.
As we go out into the world today, may we be messengers of this love, spreading hope and healing wherever we go. May we remember that God is always calling us back to him, always speaking to our hearts with a voice of love and mercy. And may we respond with faith and gratitude, knowing that he is always ready to heal our wounds and set us free with the simple touch of his grace, in his life giving and restoring sacraments of love.
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