When the people of Israel saw our Lord coming ashore at Gennesaret,
they recognized who he was, and immediately the crowds began to gather around him.
And St. Mark says this happened wherever he put in an appearance,
whether in the villages, towns, at crossroads.
People would come and bring their sick, and basically just put themselves in his path.
Very often on stretchers and beers, hoping that they would just be able to touch the tassel of his cloak.
And, of course, they were healed by our Lord in his presence.
That was the power of Jesus Christ as he walked upon the earth,
and people were able to hear the sound of his voice.
And see his face.
And were able at times, as the Holy Evangelist tells us today,
were able at times, sometimes, even to touch the tassel of his cloak.
Or have him put his hands, lay his hands on them,
or make mud from his spittle in the dirt and put it on the eyes of people.
And all these various ways in which our Lord encountered his people.
And brought them healing.
And we could perhaps imagine that we might be in a better place or in better circumstances
if we had the same kind of benefit of being able to see and hear him speak.
And have him lay his hands on us and heal us.
And yet we know that our Lord kept his promise to his apostles and through them to all of us,
that he would heal us.
And yet we know that our Lord kept his promise to his apostles and through them to all of us,
that he would not leave them orphans.
And on the contrary, would be with us all days, even until the end of the world.
And so St. Francis tells us that while his divinity was hidden under the veil of his humanity,
for us, also his humanity is veiled under the signs of the sacraments.
And in a particular way, under the sign of the Eucharist.
And so while perhaps our faith is challenged,
challenged in a way, in a different way than was the faith of those who followed our Lord
while he still was walking on earth, he is nonetheless present to us.
And the same power that brought healing to the multitudes during his earthly life
is available to us now in the sacraments and most especially in the Eucharist.
And it is the challenge of our faith in the real presence in the sacramental system.
The real presence, our Lord's Eucharistic presence, which is the mystery of faith.
It is our challenge to know and to believe this and to open ourselves up to our Lord's healing power.
The bottom line, however, is the same as it has always been.
Our Lord told those he healed to go and to sin no more.
And to show themselves to the priest and offer a sacrifice of thanksgiving.
This is our task as well, to repent of our sins and be grateful for the mercy of God
and show that gratitude in deeds of justice.
And then to pray with confidence, believing and knowing that our Lord is here with us
and gives us all we need.
As we approach our Lord today in the Eucharist,
let us ask for purity of heart and a truly repentant soul
so that we are fully open to his grace and to the power of his healing.
Let us pray.