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Gospel: Luke 9: 1-6
Jesus summoned the Twelve and gave them power and authority
over all demons and to cure diseases,
and he sent them to proclaim the Kingdom of God
and to heal the sick.
He said to them, “Take nothing for the journey,
neither walking stick, nor sack, nor food, nor money,
and let no one take a second tunic.
Whatever house you enter, stay there and leave from there.
And as for those who do not welcome you,
when you leave that town,
shake the dust from your feet in testimony against them.”
Then they set out and went from village to village
proclaiming the good news and curing diseases everywhere.
The Gospel of the Lord.
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During my eight years of priestly ministry, I’ve experienced first-hand the healing power of God, also given to the Apostles in today’s Gospel.
I’ve witnessed the presence of evil come out of a man while being absolved in confession; I’ve seen a young boy’s eyesight restored after nearly going blind; brain damage erased; cancer mysteriously vanish.
When these things happen, doctors say, “Medically, there is no explanation.”
There’s no doubt in my mind it’s the power of the Holy Spirit. As Luke tells us today, “Jesus gave them power and authority over all demons and to cure diseases and he sent them to proclaim the Kingdom of God and to heal the sick.”
Christ still heals people today.
But why Jesus heals one person is as mysterious as why he doesn’t heal another.
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I often remind people – when Christ heals us, we cannot lose sight of the bigger picture: God restores our physical bodies to offer us a glimpse of what’s to come.
If God can do good things physically, then imagine what he will do spiritually in the resurrection of the dead.
That’s the moment we have to stay focused on: the moment when the universe itself will be restored to its original goodness – and we along with it.
It’s the same message the Apostles will eventually share with those whom they meet and heal. “You were blind and now see? Lame and now walk? You will see greater things than this.”
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In the words of Bruce Springsteen: “Keep your eyes on the prize, hold on.”
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Image credits: (1) Pinterest (2) The Commissioning of Peter in the Gospel of John, Spitzer Center (3) Pinterest