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Healing

 As Jesus was on his way, the crowds almost crushed him.  And a woman was there who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years, but no one could heal her.  She came up behind him and touched the edge of his cloak, and immediately her bleeding stopped.

 “Who touched me?” Jesus asked.

When they all denied it, Peter said, “Master, the people are crowding and pressing against you.”

            But Jesus said, “Someone touched me; I know that power has gone out from me.”

             Then the woman, seeing that she could not go unnoticed, came trembling and fell at his feet. In the presence of all the people, she told why she had touched him and how she had been instantly healed. Then he said to her, “Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace.” (Luke 8:42-48)

 

            When Jesus came down from the mountainside, large crowds followed him. A man with leprosy came and knelt before him and said, “Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean.”

             Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man. “I am willing,” he said. “Be clean!” Immediately he was cleansed of his leprosy. (Matthew 8:1-3)

            It figures that Dr. Luke would take time to go into the details of these healings, while Matthew describes the first in two verses. She was sick and touched His cloak. He healed her and sent her on her way. Both Matthew and Luke deal with two levels of healing in the story of the leper. Whether they realized it or not, they were dealing with the multiple levels of healing that people need. It’s  often easy to understand the need for physical healing. The person has COVID, or cancer, or CJD, or HIV. We need to pray for healing. Yes, of course we need to pray for healing. And if the person’s symptoms disappear, we will praise God!

                But I’ve had COVID-19. Last month, I had a nasty head cold and I still cough now and again. I avoided people are one is supposed to. I wore a mask when it was appropriate. But when I cough – even if I cough because something “went down the wrong pipe.” I feel the eyes. They may not be real, but they stare accusingly. I feel like I should find a spinner rattle and walk around crying, “Unclean! Unclean!” That’s what the lepers had to do. I took the home test for COVID when I had the cold, and it came back negative. I was told that I should take another test because the tests are unreliable. I was guilty of COVID even if I wasn’t guilty of COVID. I may not have the physical disease, but I have it socially.

                 I know more than one person (including me!) who has felt the need to explain me, or to protect me or others from me. If I’m not careful, I’m likely to go out of my way to show someone I’ve just me that I’m a freak. Other people have effectively done the same thing. In fact, I once tried to explain what I had learned about introversion being a biological thing, and the person responded with, “You mean they could give you medicine and you’d be normal?”

                Over the past week or so, I’ve been feeling rather hypochondriac – including the fact that I’m suffering from hypochondria. I’m listening to a novel about two people who suffered brain injuries and some of what they describe sometimes fits me. I’ve had people suggest that I might be ADHD or have some version of OCD – and there are some times when I have to wonder. And, of course, there are the accusations and innuendos whenever I fail to agree with someone. And, not to be outdone by anyone, there are times when I discover symptoms of normality in myself, and that can be terrifying.

            For all the emphasis we tend to put on physical illness, the dis-eases that seem to bother many people more are the spiritual and emotional ailments. Sometimes, they are related. Regardless, we need to be praying for healing for one another in these “deeper” problems, and we need to be ready to be part of the process of healing both for ourselves and for others. Does that person also need a hand on the shoulder? Someone to defend them? Acceptance? A walk? Patience? An emotional exercise regimen? A smile? Acknowledgement?

            What do you need? Being able to name it, and ask for it, is a big step forward.

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