Monday of Week 5 in Ordinary Time
1 Kgs 8:1-7,9-13
Mk 6:53-56
… they laid down the sick in the open spaces, begging him to let them touch even the fringe of his cloak. And all those who touched him were cured.
A few months ago, I had the opportunity to attend a talk by Raymond Antrobus, a British Jamaican poet who was diagnosed as deaf at age six (as extracted from his website here). It was fascinating and thought-provoking to learn about deafness and the deaf community (e.g. the different sign languages) and hear about Raymond’s experience at the intersections of the mainstream and the deaf. The session served as a humbling indication that I had much to learn about inclusivity, or just being more aware of, and empathetic towards, those around me. But one comment that left me relatively unsettled was Raymond’s sharing that he had not really found refuge in religion, though his grandfather was a church pastor, because of the way deafness had been portrayed in the Bible.
This was something which had never occurred to me before, since I had always regarded the Bible stories on healing (like today’s passage) as encouraging ones meant to inspire hope. But upon reflection, I felt slightly ashamed of my narrow worldview. We know that the condition of deafness (as well as blindness and other forms of illness) depicted in the Bible is meant to be a reference to the concept of spiritual deafness rather than taken literally. But reading such passages would still be discomforting for someone who is deaf, just like reading about the rich not being able to enter heaven is discomforting for me when I think of the circumstances I have been blessed with, and see others who are less fortunate. This made me realise the importance of better understanding the context of the Bible and the intentions of its authors.
Going back to today’s Gospel passage, I had previously thought that the people who had been healed by Jesus had attained their ‘happy ever after’; they had been freed of both their physical and spiritual afflictions, and were often portrayed as gratefully and joyously going forth to tell everyone about Jesus.
Now, though I still attain reassurance reading about such figures, I am beginning to realise that their miracles had served a specific purpose in enabling people to realise that Jesus was the Son of God (as well as cherish His compassion and patience with all who came to Him). But those who had been healed were ultimately still human beings, who would continue to face future challenges and be prone to sin and weakness. Just like the weak and broken people in the Old Testament, though they had received blessings from God; just like the apostles in the New Testament, who witnessed Jesus’ miracles yet lacked faith in Him; just like us, when we ‘come down the mountain’ and return to normal life after the spiritual high of a retreat. Perhaps, I should be looking beyond the miracles as a once-off purification and regard them as milestones in our journey with the Lord, who is willing to be in an ongoing relationship with us, through all our ups and downs.
(Today’s OXYGEN by Jaclyn Lam)
Prayer: Lord, we pray for all who have been hurt by the Church or what they have encountered in the Bible. Let them come to know Your love, presence and patience.
Thanksgiving: Thank you Jesus, for knowing our need for continuous healing, and for always being ready to heal us.
OXYGEN 
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