Touched by God

By Arlene C. Thay

I wonder what happened to the leper after he began to publicize his healing. After Jesus strictly instructed him to show himself to the priest so that the law of healing that Moses prescribed would be fulfilled, what could possibly have happened to this leper who was healed by Jesus’ touch? If we follow the story after this healing, the next person to be healed by Jesus was the paralytic. Jesus told the paralytic that “his sins are forgiven” and the scribes immediately built suspicion that Jesus was blaspheming. Tying the two together, I can only imagine that while the number of believers is increasing, there are equally people who doubt Jesus’ character. Did the leper who had been healed feel injustice at what the Pharisees accused his healer of? Or did he forget about it because he was busy rejoicing in his healed state?

As I reflect on today’s gospel, I am not only awed at Jesus’ compassion but i am touched more by his manner of healing, which was to touch. All of us in one time of our lives have been touched by the Lord. And the touch is so intimate that we have no choice but to act upon this intensity of love for Him. But the challenge is – what do we do with this fire burning inside our hearts after we have been touched? Do we show ourselves to our parish priest and offer our story of conversion? Do we publicly announce that fire – but only get lost in the expression? Do we just put this aside after the initial joy of being touched by God? Do we instead honour ourselves when it should be God who has done the healing?

Epictetus, a Greek stoic philosopher once said – “It’s not what happens to you, but how you react to it that matters.”

How about you? Have you responded to His touch?

***
Gospel
15 February 2009
Sixth Sunday of Ordinary Time
Mk 1:40-45

A leper came to Jesus and kneeling down begged him and said,
“If you wish, you can make me clean.”
Moved with pity, he stretched out his hand,
touched him, and said to him,
“I do will it. Be made clean.”
The leprosy left him immediately, and he was made clean.
Then, warning him sternly, he dismissed him at once.
He said to him, “See that you tell no one anything,
but go, show yourself to the priest
and offer for your cleansing what Moses prescribed;
that will be proof for them.”
The man went away and began to publicize the whole matter.
He spread the report abroad
so that it was impossible for Jesus to enter a town openly.
He remained outside in deserted places,
and people kept coming to him from everywhere.