Just a Touch of Faith Away

The readings for the 13^th Sunday in Ordinary Time talk about faith, love, death, restoring, bringing back, touch, touching. When I read the Gospel, I stopped and focused on touch. Jesus who was followed by a large crowd encounters one of the synagogue leaders, Jairus, who fell at his feet and begged Him to, “Come and lay your hands on her so that she may be made well and live.” We hear how the girl is at the point of death.

As this was going on, a woman who had been suffering from hemorrhages for twelve years and had exhausted all her money and time in trying to find a cure only to see her condition worsen, somehow made her way through the crowd with the intention to get close enough to touch Jesus’ cloak for she too thought (had faith) that this would make her well.

So with these two scenarios in mind I started to think about a 1981 AT&T commercial whose catchy slogan was, “Reach out and touch someone.” Well the someone here is not just anybody but Jesus Christ.

In Jesus’ time that woman was prohibited by Jewish law from participating in communal prayer – her condition violated the blood taboo which made all who came in contact with the unclean woman in need of purification. By touching Jesus, she renders him impure.

The second taboo was the death taboo: touch a dead body and you are also deemed impure and you will have to undergo ritual purification in order to participate in the community life.

These two people had tremendous faith in the Lord and those touches transformed their world – the woman was healed and the girl was raised to life -  restored to the family table.

Touch, faith, healing, restoring, wiping away of tears happens each day. The following scene must be repeated hundreds of thousands of time worldwide each day. A little tot falls skins their knee, it hurts and they go running to a parent’s arms crying. Upon reaching the parent or a loved one they are often taken in their arms or put on their lap and asked where it hurts – many will repeat,  “here I will kiss the boo-boo and make it better.” Most times the crying ceases. The little child knows who will make things better just but touching. Many times the parent will give the child a drink or a little treat as Jesus did after the girl began to walk telling the parents to give her something to eat.

As we get older we become self sufficient, we feel like we can take care of ourselves and often even in the most trying times rely on the substitutes that the world offers instead of reaching out for a touch of God. Even when you do you’ll have people questioning your motives, even trying to dissuade you from reaching out to Him almost as if they are telling you that you are dead - there is no hope – why even bother.

Sometimes we have faith but we sit back and wait. Jairus and the woman had faith but they took it a step further, they took action. They didn’t worry about a law, didn’t worry nor take that erroneous advice of others but reached out and touched the one who could meet their need.

Is there some desperate need that you have? Jesus is willing to meet your need. You need to have faith in Him just as the two people in the Gospel.

Faith has been defined as “knowing Jesus well enough to trust Him.” Then you must add action to your faith. Reach out and touch the One who can meet all your needs.

You’re just a touch of faith away from Him. As today’s Psalm (30) says,

“He will turn your mourning into dancing.

O Lord my God, I will give thanks to you forever.”