Overview:

Saturday of the Twelfth Week in Ordinary Time

A Reflection for Saturday of the Twelfth Week in Ordinary Time

“He took away our infirmities and bore our diseases” (Mt 8:17).

Find today’s readings here.

Being cured by Jesus or some superior holy power is something I’m sure everyone has wished for at some point in their lives. In today’s Gospel we see this incredible power in action as Jesus heals the servant, Peter’s mother-in-law and everyone else brought before him as evening falls. Just like that, everyone is cured and happy. 

Whether it be for a small affliction that keeps us from something we were looking forward to, or for something more serious that requires a more intense treatment plan, saying a prayer to God or another saint is incredibly common. It might be even more common to be frustrated when your prayers seemingly go unanswered, bringing a feeling of isolation from God. 

Recently, I’ve had a small health issue that I’ve been dealing with. Since I was a kid, I’ve had hypochondria and resisted getting assistance with health issues. With this recent issue, I’ve struggled to accept that I will need to get help for the ailment and dealt with anxiety going to the doctor to check the issue. Now that treatment is in the near horizon, I have faced fears about what that will look like and about the recovery following it. I have spent a lot of time wondering why God and the universe would punish me with something like this.

I won’t claim to have full acceptance of or peace with the situation I’m going through, but I have been trying to find God in what could only be described as a very difficult situation. The moment has brought me closer to my friends, challenged me to have courage in the face of anxiety and prompted me to work on myself in ways I haven’t needed to in a long time. In these moments, I have found some of God’s healing. It hasn’t come with the wave of a magic hand or the ailment disappearing but instead in the peace I’ve been able to find despite the sometimes crippling anxiety. 

I’ve also tried to spend more time in conversation with God and use these quiet moments of prayer to listen to what God needs me to do to get through the difficult times and move on to better ones. God is there for us to lean on if we are willing to be honest with him. I’ve learned that God may not literally take “away our infirmities,” but he can be there to bear and lift the weight of our burdens if we are willing to open ourselves up to him. 

William Gualtiere is an O'Hare Fellow at America.