The healing process of any kind if illnesses, diseases, defects, and any other physical problems, requires involvement. The involvement of money, time, and professional skills are always required. But we also need to be personally involved in the healing process. The involvement of the sick person and the techniques that the healer is willing to give. In this era of contagious diseases, we all demand for a space that no one must enter. We may have accepted the truth that we are now on the so-called new normal situation, but we cannot just relax and let others touch us in the way they want.
There is something about touching which leaves us a bit uneasy. We are not sure if we are welcome to enter the physical space of another. We are afraid our touch may be rejected or misunderstood. The other may pull back or draw too near. Hence, we often find ourselves playing it safe by remaining in our well-defined space.
Those who work with the sick are finding the healing power of human touch. There is a real healing power and restoration which can occur through physical contact. We can send a message of reassurance which can dispel feelings of abandonment. We also touch to reassure ourselves that we can be moved and respond to those in pain.
The gospel reading last Sunday was an extraordinary event in the life of Jesus (and the leper). A leper approached Jesus and wanted to be healed. The leper showed faith and courage. He told Jesus that a cure is possible if Jesus desires it. Furthermore, he showed courage by risking the rejection that one would expect.
The leper was unclean, and he is not permitted to go near the clean folks. He must shout that he is unclean for people to know that a leper is coming near them, and they will have a chance to run and go away.
What is so remarkable about the story was not the cure but the manner or the way it was cured. Jesus dared to touch the leper, he took the risk of getting infected with the disease, and he also took the risk of getting judged by his critics. The action of Jesus indicates that the time for reconciliation and healing are at hand. Those who are far off can now come home and dwell as children of the one family of God.
My dear friends, leprosy is no longer a dreaded disease. But there are a lot of diseases in our life which need to be healed by the power of touch. Our relationships are in a mess, and we would rather wallow in solitude rather than to restore our relationships and build a stronger connection with people around us. Pride is more dangerous than leprosy. Anger is more destructive than any contagious disease. Self-centeredness is so powerful that it can bring us down to our own destruction.
However, I still believe that a simple embrace can be more meaningful than uttering flowery words of forgiveness. A simple pat on a shoulder is enough for a distressed man to go on with his life with enthusiasm. A simple touch can ease out the unknown fear from the heart of a man who is afraid to fight for his rights and principles. An embrace is an assurance of our love for a person and that simple embrace can go a long way for that human being whom we dared to touch.
Our present society is teaching us not to touch as a sign of respect for that space that a person built around himself. We are not lepers, but we live our life in a more miserable way than that of the lepers because we always try to simply be on our own. Doing so is very hard to do because it is going against our nature as social beings. I believe that this is part of Satan’s plans and lies… to make us believe that we are better off alone by ourselves. Division is the easiest way to conquer an enemy. So, we must be united, hand in hand with one another, so we can defeat anything that can destroy us. We need healing for everything within our systems, especially in terms of our relationships with other people and with God.
Lord our God, touch us and heal us in our woundedness…