Reflection: Luke 6:12-19

Tuesday of the Twenty-third Week in Ordinary Time – Luke 6:12-19

Today’s Gospel begins with Jesus going up the mountain to pray. Jesus spent the whole night in prayer. It is immediately after this time of deep solitude and prayer that he called the twelve apostles. It is at this point Jesus began to preach, to teach, and to heal.

The word about Jesus must have already spread. The people of the area must have known that there was something very unusual about this man.  As Jesus came down the mountain, immediately he was surrounded by a great number of people from  Judea, Tyre, Sidon, and Jerusalem.

What was it that drew these people to Jesus? How had the word spread so quickly? In Jesus’ time there was no internet by which the word could be spread worldwide almost instantaneously. Yet, somehow the word about Jesus had spread far and wide! What were the stories these people heard about this itinerant preacher, Jesus? Or had they heard him preach and wanted to hear more from him?

The people wanted more than to just hear Jesus preach. In the Gospel Luke says: “Everyone was trying to touch him.” The people had heard that great power flowed out from Jesus. They had heard that he had the power to heal. They too had come wanting to be touched and healed by Jesus. What a gift that would be!

I assume that each of us also needs healing. The wound or injury may be an experience from the past or it may be a situation that is happening in our lives today. Today is an opportunity for each of us to come to Jesus and ask for the healing that we need and yearn for. Let us reach out and touch Jesus in some way today. It may be by prayer, reading this Scripture passage or just sitting quietly in the presence of Jesus. May we trust that Jesus will reach out and touch us in some loving and healing way today!