There are two topics I want to chat with you about this evening. The first is the healing power we see in the Gospel reading. A healing power is always present in the Christ. The love of God is a healing thing. It finds ways to pull together the shattered pieces of our hearts, it finds ways to bind up the fragmented lives we lead. God's love brings healing to the body, the mind and the soul.
This is the ancient power called Raphael...like the Archangel. The Archangel Raphael is God's healing instrument. Rapha-el means "God heals." And that healing, strengthening, stabilizing power is available to you. This is the power that calmed the winds and stilled the waves on the sea of Galilee. It is a power that can calm the storms of your own life. It is right here. That is what this Eucharist is all about in one sense. We are here to be healed. Our souls are weary and scarred by sin and the devices and desires of our hearts that have led us in down paths that looked good to us, but turned out to have been painful paths. And not only our souls, but our minds have been scarred. And our bodies, too. They have suffered as we experimented with paths of dubious merit. And, now, we need healing. We need strength. We need the calming, holy wholeness that God's touch brings. That is why you are here, truth told. You've wended your way to this sanctuary, this refuge to experience God's forgiving, healing, cleansing, strengthening power.
You know, the early Church knew how to talk about life and say what they meant. When they felt torn apart, and pulled in a thousand directions–when they felt overwhelmed, not knowing if their boat would be swamped, they said they were "scattered," literally "ripped apart and strewn about." The most evocative verb for "to strew" in Greek and there are several: is diaballein. Did you hear the "ball" in diaBALLein? Ballein is the verb for "to throw." We get ball, base ball, basketball, and all the balls from ballein...something thrown. Ballistics comes from that verb, for you CSI fans. Dia is a preposition that can mean a dozen things depending on its context, but it CAN mean "around." So, diaballein is to "throw around," or to strew. We get the word "diabolic" from this root. The Devil was the Great Scatterer who ripped lives apart and people couldn't heal. But in Christ and the sacraments they met the Great Physician, and found a source of healing. Do you feel the power of the diabolic in your life? Oh, I don't mean the Devil is out to get you, but do you sense your energy so dissipated that you have no clear vision for your future? Do you feel more and more overwhelmed and overtaken by events? You are in the right place. Here is the Power of Health for body, mind and soul.
When you receive the Body of Christ, you touch the power of the living God, and the Living God touches you. God's energy is given you...an energy that begins its transforming work, bringing health and wholeness.
Which brings me to the second thing I wanted to chat with you about. The health in tonight's Gospel reading...remember? Christ healed a deaf man. He opened ears to hear...such a wonderful act of healing. Do you sense, though, that if Christ were to come to you with that same healing power that it might be to "close" your ears rather than to open them? People, so much of what we listen to is not helpful to health. There are things we need to hear: encouragement for the good, appreciation for our kindnesses, affirmations of love. But most of what we hear is actually destructive to us and to any effort for peace...either inner peace or world peace. So much of what we hear brings anxiety, leads to rage, causes sadness and hurt. These things will ALWAYS tear us apart. So...no matter how many Eucharists we attend, or how many Confessions we make, if we continue to listen to what will explode inside us and fragment us, we will continue to experience pain. Part of today's healing offered you is a meditation on "ears." Listen to what is beneficial to you and good for all, and move away from conversations, TV or Radio stations, or books that destroy your peace, your wholeness. Let's face it, most of what passes for "News" today ISN'T! It's just raw gossip that hurts someone. A high White House source, indeed! Probably the janitor with a beef! I'm serious about this. We have air pollution, and it isn't just chemicals...it's all the stuff we listen to that is harmful to good judgement.
So, today, as you leave this sanctuary, take with you the memory of God's healing touch. But also take with you a discerning ear. And therein will be a source of blessing for you and for all you touch. And may God bless you all. +
-Father Bill Axe, O.SS.T.
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