YEAR B: HOMILY FOR THE THIRTEENTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME (5)

YEAR B: HOMILY FOR THE THIRTEENTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME

HOMILY THEME: THE HEALING TOUCH

BY: Fr. Benny Tuazon

HOMILY:

(Mk. 5:21-43) Thirteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

In the day’s Gospel, we have two touch miracles by Jesus. In one, He was touched, while on the other, He was the one who touched. The woman who was suffering from hemorrhage for twelve years sought to touch Jesus . She believes that if she was able to touch Jesus, she would be cured. On the other hand, Jairus, the synagogue official, wanted Jesus to just lay His hands on his dying daughter. The woman was healed and the child was saved from death.

How can we avail of that healing touch? How can we touch Jesus? And how can He touch us? Does it mean that we cannot be healed by Jesus anymore? Of course, He can! He can do it in His Spirit. It was the reason why on Pentecost, the Holy Spirit came. Jesus can touch and maybe touched in the Spirit.

When the pope came last January, many wanted to touch and be touched by him. A lot were happy to, at least, have seen him. But those who were really able to touch him and touched by him, felt blessed. They felt very close to God. There were those who professed being converted back to the faith. The holiness of the pope consumed them. They regained their faith. They were healed spiritually and were brought back to life.

We need not have a physical contact with God to touch Or connect with Him. We can be connected with Him spiritually. In the same breath, He can connect with us spiritually. Faith makes that possible. The hemorrhage ng woman and Jairus’s daughter may have had contact with the Lord Jesus, but it was their faith which made the healings possible.

Jesus will also grace us with His healing if we touch Him or allow ourselves be touched. But we have to have faith in Him just like the sick woman and Jairus.