In Need of Healing?
And people brought to him a deaf man who had a speech impediment and begged him to lay his hand on him. (Mark 7:32)
After a successful eye surgery ten years ago, my eyes started to deteriorate again; first very slowly, but now drastically. So, it is no coincidence that this Sunday’s Gospel is precisely about healing. Yes, not only the man with the speech impediment needed a cure, but all of us are in need of healing, and I don’t mean just physical healing.
On September 8th, the Church celebrates the Feast of the Birth of Mary, but this year, because it falls on Sunday, the liturgy of this Sunday takes precedence. Nevertheless, we all know that Our Blessed Mother is our most powerful intercessor. She launched Jesus’ mission by telling the waiters at the wedding of Cana to do as Jesus told them and water was turned into the most delicious wine, a symbol of the joy of the Kingdom at the Wedding Feast of the Lamb.
There have been many cases of miraculous healings at the waters of Lourdes and at many other places where Mary has appeared. With her intercession, I certainly hope to receive the same blessing that the deaf and mute man in today’s Gospel received from Jesus. On this special day, let us bring flowers to Mary and ask her to mediate for us the graces we need for healing of soul and body.
In today’s first reading, the Prophet Isaiah says, “Be strong, fear not! Here is your God… He comes to save you. Then will the eyes of the blind be opened, the ears of the deaf be cleared; the lame leap like a stag, the tongue of the mute will sing.” (Isaiah 35:5-6) Yes, the prophets of old knew that God would come to proclaim the beauty of the Kingdom, and Jesus’ miraculous healings are visible signs of that wonderful reality!
Taking a bus for my eye doctor’s appointment, I was amazed to see clearly the quantity of people in need of different types of healing. I also saw the genuine joy of a caretaker who entered the bus with a disabled man, Joe, who was lying down in a large wheelchair. Although it was challenging, not only did she care for Joe, but she made sure that those of us in the front of the bus as well as those who were displaced to accommodate Joe, were comfortable too. Suddenly, she started to sing, “We are going to the movies downtown, and we are going to have fun! Oh, yeah, we’ll have popcorn!” We all started to smile at the happy singing. When we arrived downtown, she struggled to get Joe off the bus, even with the help of others. Yet, she remained joyful and encouraging as if the task were easy. Then she continued on her way to the movies singing cheerfully for Joe. In the hiddenness of her simplicity and spontaneity, she preached a powerful message of love which easily reached the hearts of all regardless of beliefs.
Indeed, Jesus has made the Kingdom of God and the Father’s love tangible in our world by his healings, teachings, and by embracing the Cross. All is about love, about learning to love perfectly. It might require generosity, sacrifice and suffering, but it is worthy! Like the joyful caretaker, let us bring the good news of the Kingdom to the poor, bind up the brokenhearted, proclaim liberty to captives, give real sight to the blind, and bring joy and hope to the fainthearted… even amid our own sufferings and trials!
I would like to conclude with a request. As Jesus gave thanks to His Heavenly Father for revealing His wisdom to the little ones, please, would you reflect this week before the Blessed Sacrament, on what ways the life of Build the Faith’s founder, Christina, has brought light, wisdom, faith, joy, and trust in Jesus to you. Let us give thanks to our Heavenly Father for her beautiful witness! Also, in your kindness, would you please say a Hail Mary asking our Blessed Mother and Christy to intercede before Jesus for me and for all who need to recover their sight? I’m also in need of healing.
God bless you all!
Sister Marta was born and raised in Managua, Nicaragua. Early in life she experienced an earthquake which claimed thousands of lives and destroyed her hometown. Later, political unrest, Communism, and persecution, especially of young people, caused her to migrate alone to the USA where she met new challenges. After a family tragedy and deeply affected by these adversities, Sister Marta began an inner search for answers to the mystery of life, suffering, truth, and the deepest yearnings of the human heart. She found the answer in Christ. By Divine Providence she met (and joined) the Secular Franciscans in Fresno, California, in 1994, and later, the Sister Disciples of the Divine Master where she discovered, with joy, an undeserved call to the consecrated life. Although a late vocation, she was admitted to the Congregation in 2000. Today, Sister Marta serves the Lord and His Church through her ministry at the Archdiocese of Boston.