Mk 3:7-12
7Jesus withdrew toward the sea with his disciples. A large number of people [followed] from Galilee and from Judea. 8Hearing what he was doing, a large number of people came to him also from Jerusalem, from Idumea, from beyond the Jordan, and from the neighborhood of Tyre and Sidon. 9He told his disciples to have a boat ready for him because of the crowd, so that they would not crush him. 10He had cured many and, as a result, those who had diseases were pressing upon him to touch him. 11And whenever unclean spirits saw him they would fall down before him and shout, “You are the Son of God.” 12He warned them sternly not to make him known.
He had cured many: We may picture the Gospel scene as resembling the many healing Masses or sessions of our times. Thousands flock to a healing priest or minister, hoping to be cured of their ailments. Real healing still happens in these gatherings.
Our understanding of illness, however, should not be focused only on bodily sickness and physical ailment. We are human, we get sick, we grow old and weak, we die—all this is inevitable. We should also be aware of the many social, political, and environmental illnesses that plague us today.
These illnesses crush us, in much the same way that people seeking to be healed press upon Jesus. We beg Jesus to heal our sick. We also ask Jesus to give us his courage so we face the issues the way he faces them—with faith in God and with love for people; with understanding and mercy yet with justice and humility.
Touch: People from all over Palestine and even the regions beyond press toward Jesus, hoping merely to touch him because they believe he is a miracle worker. Jesus bears with the crowd’s imperfect faith, their “superstition,” and allows himself to be touched by them. In the process, they are relieved of their suffering. In many other circumstances, Jesus will demand of individuals their personal trust in him. More often, Jesus cures “in secret” to show that he is more than just a wonder worker.