His Healing Touch

Tonight I went to a Healing Mass and Service with a priest, Fr. Fernando Suarez, who has the gift of healing others with his touch. He discovered this gift at the age of 16 and struggled with it. But he learned to embrace it and now travels all over the world with his healing ministry. It was incredible how many people were there. The sanctuary was standing room only, there were rows of chairs in the hallway outside the sanctuary, and people standing and they also had another room with a big screen TV so the people in that room could see as well. There were so many in need and trusting in God’s healing power. Many had visible physical ailments, they were in wheelchairs, had walkers, or a cane; some had lost their hair due to chemotherapy, and some walked with a limp. I am sure there were many like me with physical pain due to a chronic illness and like me, there were many in need of healing of our heart, mind and soul. “O LORD, my God, I cried out to you and you healed me.”  (Psalm 30:3)

The crowds reminded me of Jesus and how often there were crowds of people trying to get near him so that they could be healed.  It reminded me of the man lowered through the roof by his friends because there was no other way to get to Jesus. They allowed people to mention how they had been healed tonight and Fr. Shannon just kept reminding us that it wasn’t Fr. Suarez who was healing but Christ. How difficult it must be for Fr. Suarez to remain humble. I know how easy it is to take credit when things are going well instead of giving God the glory. Several years ago during his homily, a priest was talking about how this couple came to talk to him because they were unable to conceive and were considering in-vitro fertilization. He went on to say that after he prayed over them that she became pregnant. He was bragging how he had done this, never once giving God the glory. Last year I had a large nodule on my thyroid that needed to be biopsied. I received the Anointing of the Sick prior to going to the hospital for my biopsy. They began the sonogram to locate the nodule and could not find it. At first I tried to figure out how this could have happened in a human way, someone must have made a mistake, instead of immediately realizing it was divine intervention. I did give glory to God but ashamed to admit that it wasn’t my first reaction. When I shared the news with Fr. Jason he immediately acknowledged that it was the Holy Spirit through the Sacrament that had healed me. Since then I have become less of a skeptic and more of a believer in God’s healing power. And that he uses our hands to deliver this healing touch.

“Many signs and wonders were done among the people at the hands of the apostles. Thus they even carried the sick out into the streets and laid them on cots and mats so that when Peter came by, at least his shadow might fall on one or another of them. A large number of people from the towns in the vicinity of Jerusalem also gathered, bringing the sick and those disturbed by unclean spirits, and they were all cured.” (Acts 5:12, 15-16)