The Miracle of Touch
One of the interesting aspects of some of the gospel stories is the connection between many of the miracles attributed to Jesus and His reaching out to touch those in need of his help – the curing of the blind, the deaf, the lepers, the possessed and even raising the dead to life. Others, who heard of the healing power of Jesus, reached out to touch Him and they also were cured.
In the present climate, we are warned of the danger of a physical touch; none of us wants to be the giver or receiver of the corona virus. In addition, there is the danger of a physical touch being mis-interpreted; what is given with positive intent may be received with ambiguity or even negativity.
This is agonisingly restrictive for people whose natural disposition is to give and receive hugs. It is particularly difficult for people from cultures where touch is expected to be freely given and received.
But one can be “touched” in many ways. We can be the happy recipients of many such touches:
- the approving smile of a friend;
- a word of praise when something goes well;
- a word of encouragement when life is challenging;
- a note, email or text to say, ‘thank you’ or ‘thinking of you’.
My prayer today is that, with the help of the great Healer, we may be open to the healing touch of others, and that others may be touched by something we say or do.
Mr Liam Lally
