This weekend's Gospel included the story of a woman afflicted with hemorrhages. In the spirit of "every-time-I-hear-a-Gospel-reading-I-see-it-in-a-new-way", I noticed "contagiousness" from a different angle.
In Jesus' day, people believed touching a person who was hemorrhaging would make them unclean. There was a belief that such diseases were contagious. (Obviously some were in the physical sense, but more importantly, they believed they were contagious in a spiritual sense as well.)
The woman, however, knew that Jesus was also "contagious" ... that if she could just touch him she would "catch" his holiness and be cured.
She, of course, was right.
This reflection made me think about which kind of 'contagious" we are. How often do we think about contagiousness in a good way? Or role model it? When people come in contact with us, do they leave more holy? On the flip side, do we try and surround ourselves with holy people so that we "catch" more goodness?
Or are we contagious in a bad way? There are many events that have taken place these past weeks that are examples of this bucket. Groups and individuals have made decisions and spread teachings that are contaminating followers in ways that are not in line with God's teaching. And because many of these followers do not surround themselves with Jesus or other holy people, they are getting spiritually sicker.
I pray this week for all those who are spiritually sick. May they find a way to "catch" Jesus and may the Holy Spirit strengthen us to help them find Him.
5 comments:
WOW ... this is very powerful, Michael.
You don't write here often, but when you do you certainly make us sit up and take notice.
Do people feel more holy when they meet me? Do they leave contagious in a good way?
You really worry me Michael. I'll have to look at myself and my behaviour all over again.
God bless.
Great reflection! I hope I am contagious in a good way.
One of my favourite Bible stories. The faith of that woman!
We can be toxic to others, or we can help others by our example. Most times, I feel toxic.
Thank you Victor, Colleen and Shirley for your kind words and comments! God Bless all of you!
Reasons to Believe in Jesus
Reasons to believe Jesus is alive in a new life with God can be found in quotes from two prominent atheists and a biology textbook.
Thus the passion of man is the reverse of that of Christ, for man loses himself as man in order that God may be born. But the idea of God is contradictory and we lose ourselves in vain. Man is a useless passion. (Jean-Paul Sartre, Being and Nothingness: A Phenomenological Essay on Ontology, New York: Washington Square Press, p. 784)
Among the traditional candidates for comprehensive understanding of the relation of mind to the physical world, I believe the weight of evidence favors some from of neutral monism over the traditional alternatives of materialism, idealism, and dualism. (Thomas Nagel, Mind and Cosmos: Why the Materialist Neo-Darwinian Conception of Nature Is Almost Certainly False, location 69 of 1831)
And certain properties of the human brain distinguish our species from all other animals. The human brain is, after all, the only known collection of matter that tries to understand itself. To most biologists, the brain and the mind are one and the same; understand how the brain is organized and how it works, and we’ll understand such mindful functions as abstract thought and feelings. Some philosophers are less comfortable with this mechanistic view of mind, finding Descartes’ concept of a mind-body duality more attractive. (Neil Campbell, Biology, 4th edition, p. 776 )
Sartre speaks of the "passion of man," not the passion of Christians. He is acknowledging that all religions east and west believe there is a transcendental reality and that perfect fulfillment comes from being united with this reality after we die. He then defines this passion with a reference to Christian doctrine which means he is acknowledging the historical reasons for believing in Jesus. He does not deny God exists. He is only saying the concept of God is contradictory. He then admits that since life ends in the grave, it has no meaning.
From the title of the book, you can see that Nagel understands that humans are embodied sprits and that the humans soul is spiritual. He says, however, that dualism and idealism are "traditional" alternatives to materialism. Dualism and idealism are just bright ideas from Descartes and Berkeley. The traditional alternative to materialism is monism. According to Thomas Aquinas unity is the transcendental property of being. Campbell does not even grasp the concept of monism. The only theories he grasps are dualism and materialism.
If all atheists were like Sartre, it would be an obstacle to faith. An important reason to believe in Jesus is that practically all atheists are like Nagel and Campbell, not like Sartre.
by David Roemer
347-417-4703
http://www.newevangelization.info
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