A MESSAGE FOR THE 23rd SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST
Have you ever noticed that the
closer we get to a particular person, the more that person begins to "rub
off" on us? Exposure to their
personality somehow influences us to the point that we begin, subconsciously,
to resemble them in our behavior, our mode of speech, our moral conduct, and
even our involuntary gestures and habits.
Mothers are especially aware of
this phenomenon, and warn their children incessantly of the dangers of hanging with
the wrong crowd: "Show me the
company you keep, and I'll tell you what you are!" Hopefully, through warnings such as this, children
will be instilled with an instinctive alertness to the behavior of their school
friends, so that later in life they will continue the practice of avoiding
coworkers and other associates who might tend to lead them astray. For obvious reasons, this applies in
particular to friends of the opposite sex, and these days apparently to others
too—worldy people who fear not God, and who are ready to drag us into sin.
Parents then should train their
children well in this respect. It goes
way beyond telling a child not to accept candy from strangers. The young and innocent must be thoroughly
brought up to seek attraction only in other similarly God-fearing Christian
children and adults, whom they may trust never to lead them astray. Even then, our trust is often betrayed, and the
fallen nature of man reminds us ever to be vigilant. We must all do our best, nevertheless, to
choose our friends wisely.
Today's Gospel provides two
examples, one a man and the other a woman, who sought out our Lord as he passed
by, attracted by his sanctity and their faith in his healing powers. The woman with the issue of blood was able to
reach out and touch merely the hem of his garment, and was instantly cured of
her disease. A greater miracle occurs
when Jesus takes the hand of the ruler's daughter and raises her from the dead.
We find in Christ someone who
will never betray those who place their trust in him. If other men let us down sometimes, here is
one Son of Man who is also Son of God, and in whom we may have full
confidence. And the closer we approach
him, the greater the miracles we can expect.
But whether we manage only to touch the hem of his garment through
simple prayer, penance and good works, or whether we have the good fortune to
be able to touch his hand—his very Flesh and Blood—through the reception of
Holy Communion, we may be sure that we shall be healed according to his holy
will.
The
closer we are to Christ, the more perfect will be the healing of our soul, our
mind, and our body, and the closer we may resemble God in his divine
perfection, our own lives shining forth in this dark world, attracting even
more souls, not to ourselves, but to the very source of our own poor attempts
at holiness. Let us reach out and touch
the hand of God.
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