13 Jan 2017
It's clear from Scripture (and experience) that faith and
healing go hand in hand. Jesus is able to heal people because of their
faith. He's even able to heal people through the faith of their friends
or companions. We have an example today in the healing of the paralytic.
Another is the healing of the centurion's servant, and also the healing
of Jairus' daughter in Mark.
Faith in Jesus leads to healing; and, more broadly speaking,
faith opens the way for Jesus to bring us to himself. But St Mark makes an
interesting comment when he writes that Jesus "saw their faith."
He saw the faith of those who lowered the paralytic through the roof.
From that we understand that the kind of faith God gives us isn't just a
private faith; it's meant to be exercised; it's meant to be "seen,"
and "evident."
And, really, faith moves us to do a lot of concrete things.
It moves us to show up for Mass and to be actively engaged in what we're
doing here. Faith moves us to lay our prayers before him, with confidence
that he hears and answers them. Faith moves us to be patient when we'd
rather not. It moves us to be charitable and forgiving. Faith moves
us to speak freely about God and to share with others why we believe what we
believe.
Our faith is something than can be seen and is evident.
And Jesus is looking to see our faith, because it's a sign to him that we
want him to be in our life. And it's a sign to him that we want to be
part of his life. And what is his life, but a life of healing and wholeness.
It's easy to see then why faith and healing go hand in hand.
Faith is the doorway. Healing is what's on the other side.
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