7 July, Monday — Having Faith in God’s Healing

Monday of Week 14 in Ordinary Time

Gen 28:10-22
Mt 9:18-26

“If I can only touch his cloak I shall be well again.”

In Singapore, there is a church known as the Church of St Alphonsus. However, most people refer to it as the ‘Novena Church’ because of the multiple Novena devotions that are held every Saturday. During these devotion services, the priest typically reads out a list of prayer petitions that are submitted by individuals and lifts these petitions up in intercessory prayers to the Virgin Mary.

The Novena devotions are attended by large numbers of Catholic and non-Catholics. An interesting and unintended consequence is that the district around the church and the subway station that services the district have both been named ‘Novena’. Whenever I attend a Novena devotion, I am struck by the faith and devotion of the congregation, even among the non-Catholics who often attend these devotions.

In today’s Gospel readings, we encounter similar faith and devotion – first, in the official who had come to Jesus seeking the resurrection of his dead daughter and secondly, in the woman who touched the tassel on his cloak. In both instances, Jesus responded to people who came seeking His help and healing. In both instances, Jesus answered their desperate prayers.

How often have we reached out to Him, hoping to touch His cloak and be healed? Or sought His intervention in a seemingly impossible situation? During a bout of illness, I spent a lot of time meditating on this set of Gospel readings. Like the haemorrhaging woman, I too reached out to our Lord. If I could only touch His cloak. Surely, I too would be healed? While we cannot touch our Lord physically in the same way that the woman did, we also know that our Lord is with us still. There is a spiritually reality that transcends our physical condition and ailments.

What is most important is not just the fact that I was healed, but that I reached out to Him. It is an act of faith to ask for God’s help and healing. Regardless of how long it takes for us to overcome our difficulties or whether God’s answer to us comes to us immediately, it is important that we continue to have faith in our Father in Heaven. The same Father who had promised Jacob: “Know that I am with you; I will protect you wherever you go”

(Today’s OXYGEN by Jacob Woo)

Prayer: We pray for eyes of faith and wisdom, to see the ways in which our Lord has provided for us and aided us in our difficult times.   

Thanksgiving: We are thankful for the blessings that God continues to shower upon us in our everyday lives, and for continuing to listen to our pleas and prayers.