do not detract from the message - 2nd week thursday

I believe that, of the many gifts of the Holy Spirit, one of the most difficult to handle is the gift of healing - to be given the gift to heal other people. One can receive from the Holy Spirit the gift of teaching for example, the gift of preaching, the gift of counsel, the gift of administration, etc., etc.  Well and good.  But I would be hesitant if the Spirit would give me the gift of healing.  It calls too much attention on the healer, and we know from experience and from common knowledge that when too much attention is focused on the person, whatever he or she does cannot last, and most often too even the person of the healer does not last.

Many times it happens when relics visit our place, or so called miraculous images.  Again attention becomes too focused on the relic or on the image and everyone forgets the message, and the result is superficial, and can even become superstitious.  Where is the focus?  Where are we directing the people’s attention?  These are important questions to ask because many times what we do is not actually about the Kingdom of God.  On closer examination it is not actually about the Church or about Christ or even about the good of the other.  Many times the things that we do are things that are too focused on ourselves, on our inflated egos.

In the gospel people mobbed Jesus.  This is typical for one who can heal.  Tell people this is the healing mass, and they would mob this place, as if there is a big difference to a mass which is not called healing mass.  But Jesus insisted on the message, that he must be heard first before he can be touched.  He has prepared a boat just in case.  He even stopped the demons from speaking about him so as to conceal his identity.  Because the important thing is the message.  Do not deflect from your true purpose, from your original vocation.  Because in the end, this is not about us.  This is about Jesus, this is about the Church, this is about the children of God.