Having been ill and getting better, healing, is a process. A process that requires time and active effort. In the case of a cold or flu this might happen relatively quickly. But with a more serious illness comes a greater effort. Taking care of oneself, looking for a cure, going through treatment, maybe even having to look for more unorthodox therapies is a long road and it can be hard and exhausting. It may also be ultimately rewarding, maybe in unexpected ways.
In Luke 18, the blind man, sitting at the wayside in Jericho is not resigned to his fate. He has a keen awareness of what is going on around him. He hears the commotion when Jesus Christ is drawing close and inquires what is happening. He calls out to Him, who passes by. The One he has faith in and knows brings healing. And he is not deterred by those who consider him a nuisance and want him to be quiet. When Jesus Christ summons, he comes willingly, when he asks, the blind man has an answer – and he is healed. Jesus Christ brings us the ‘healing medicine’. This is not a medicine that will find us “no matter what” –wherever we are or whatever we do. We may be sitting by the wayside and Christ may pass us by. Not because he does not care but because we are not paying attention. We need the willingness to pay attention to Him. To look for Him. The persistence in doing do. To ask for Him and to seek Him out. To learn to understand the very nature of His being.
If we go looking for Him, if we open the doors of our soul to Him, He will answer us without fail. For Christ is always aware of us.
Contemplation by Rev. Inken Contreras Koelmel