Posted by The WORD in other words (2021) by Fr. Jose Rizal Santos, SVD (Japan)
Wednesday 22nd Week in Ordinary Time
Image source: Choramuseum / Jesus heals Peter’s mother-in-law
To experience God’s healing power, like what happened to Simon’s mother-in-law, is a great blessing and an opportunity for us to build our trust and hope in His unfathomable divine mercy!
To be stricken with a debilitating disease is a not sign of misfortune nor a punitive action from God. It is merely a sign of our human weakness – physical, psychological, moral. It could also be our experience of taking part in His redemptive suffering for the forgiveness of our sins and the sins of humankind.
Healing not only of our faults/idiosyncrasies but also of seemingly incurable physical and psycho-spiritual illnesses is a gift. Nothing is impossible with God!
For those gifted with the power of healing, it need not be a reason for envy and discrimination by others who are not equally blessed. When we are healed, whether from a slight fever or severe sickness, this situation is our rare opportunity to grow in faith in God.
We must find time to pray for the countless sick and the lonely, as well as thank the Lord for our recovery and security from near-death illnesses! We do need to believe in the power of prayer.
Some prefer to keep quiet to avoid the embarrassment of being known that they have been inflicted with a serious illness. To our great shock, we only hear about them when they have succumbed to death. It reveals our seeming lack of faith and trust in the mighty healing hand of God if we cannot submit to prayer and ask for others’ prayers when we are ill.
St. Maximillian Kolbe, patron of cancer patients, pray for us! Holy Mary, the Mother of the Divine Mercy, pray for us! Amen.
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