Monday after Epiphany
Yesterday we celebrated the Solemnity of the Epiphany. Epiphany means ‘manifestation’. Jesus, in welcoming the Magi, who were Gentile, manifested the truth that he is the Savior for all people without exception.
Actually, the entire life of Jesus is a manifestation or revelation of God. Jesus is God in the flesh, and reveals the Father in a way which we can perceive and understand. He is the manifestation of God’s goodness and kindness, of God’s mercy and compassion, of God’s life and love.
Jesus, in today’s gospel, shows us that our God is one who heals. The people brought to Jesus “all who were sick with various diseases and racked with pain, those who were possessed, lunatics and paralytics, and he cured them all.” Curing and healing the sick is a manifestation of the Kingdom of heaven of which Jesus preached.
Jesus will cure and heal us too. First, he will heal the wounds of sin. But he cares about the total person; he wants to heal not only our souls but also our bodies.
We all need healing, because all of us are sick. What we are referring to is not just physical sickness or spiritual illness. We are also referring to sickness due to poverty, hunger, misery. We are also referring to sickness due to a false sense of security based on wealth, power, success, and popularity. Even our family is sick – perhaps due to misunderstanding, quarrel, unforgiveness, separation, divorce or broken relationship. Even our society or community, in general, is terribly sick, not because of germs or virus, but because of sinful social structures – structures of injustice, inequality, oppression, discrimination.
Eventually all of us must see our bodies wither and be corrupted in death. We should not think that Jesus is unconcerned about these physical realities, as if our souls counted and not our bodies. A complete cure for physical weakness will not come in this life. It will come on the day of resurrection. Then we will be raised body as well as soul to the fullness of perfect life. (Charles Miller)
We have a promise of that in our communion with the glorified body of the Risen Lord. Jesus has promised solemnly, “Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him on the last day.”
Parokya ni Osong 