17 February 2018
Saturday after Ash Wednesday, Memorial of the Seven Holy Founders of the Order of Servites
Jesus said to them in reply, “Those who are healthy do not need a physician, but the sick do. I have not come to call the righteous to repentance but sinners.” (Luke 5:31-32)
Am I willing to acknowledge my need? Especially in a culture that so praises independence, do I admit that I depend on others: family, friends, God? Again, the striking image of the American student or worker who insists on showing up to class or work with a fever and incessant cough confronts us. We see this stubbornness regularly in others, and we are not immune from it ourselves. What helps to acknowledge this need? Holes. Make a hole in your diet through occasional fasting. Make a hole in your finances by occasional alms. Make a hole in your schedule by prayer, especially the most ancient and sacred prayer of the Sabbath. Into these holes the Lord may step in and offer you His holiness. When the patient stops trying to cure himself by holding his hand over the wound, and finally removes his hand to show the physician, then the doctor can do what only the doctor can do: work the healing necessary. Let us rejoice in our need, for we are cared for by such a good Lord. Let us acknowledge our needs by giving our Physician room to work in our lives.