Gospel Reflection - 13th Sunday in Ordinary Time Year B

 


The words of Psalm 30 today could easily have been prayed by the woman with the hemorrhages after she’d been healed.  Through her bold faith, all she needed was to touch the hem of His garment. 


“I will praise you, Lord, for you have rescued me.”  -  She praises God for rescuing her from the hemorrhages and ridicule which have plagued her for many years. 


“...drew me clear and did not let my enemies rejoice over me.”  &  “You changed my mourning into dancing.”  -  She was alone, mourning the loss of companionship with family and friends.  Where once she was considered unclean by society’s standards, she has now been healed of her affliction and has no fear of being near others.


At the Shrine of Our Lady of Consolation in Carey, OH, there is an altar in the lower level called the Purgatory Altar.  It is a piece of art depicting the Consecration and the joining of Heaven and Purgatory through the Mass on Earth.  As the priest holds the Body of Christ toward the crucifix, a young altar boy kneels behind him.  I was drawn to this young boy and how he was holding on to the hem of the priest’s vestments.  What a beautiful image…I felt the boy was bringing his troubles to the Mass, knowing that by touching the hem of the priest, he’d be connected to Christ and healed.




We, too, can be healed by our own faith during every Mass in which we partake.  We boldly profess our Faith and open ourselves fully to Him.  Through the Eucharistic celebration, we carry our burdens to the altar and touch more than the hem of His garment.  In receiving His Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity, we touch Christ completely, allowing Him to heal us from within and give us the Graces needed to carry out our Christian mission in the world. 


Have you been to the Shrine of Our Lady of Consolation in Carey, OH?  If not, consider making a pilgrimage there soon and seek out the altar I mentioned above.


Where have you experienced Christ’s healing in your life, which turned your mourning into dancing? 


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