Justin Appel

Dear Friends,

Today’s Gospel lesson from Mark paints Jesus in terms which fundamentally challenge our preconceptions about him. These days, Jesus is sometimes treated as a wise teacher, a dispenser of sage advice, or even as an ordinary man raised to extraordinary heights by his followers.

The Jesus of the Gospels, however, seems to be neither of these phenomena. He acts, with surprising vigor and effectiveness, for one thing. For another, he disturbs the people around him with his power and authority. They often fail to fully comprehend who he is or what he is doing, but they cannot deny his formidable and real presence. Jesus is not just a benign character.

This fact comes through in the end of the lesson, when those who were sick were healed by simply touching the hem of Jesus’ garment, an action which resonates in our own day.

During the Divine Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom, the priest carries the elements to be consecrated through the people in a movement called the “Great Entrance,” and people nearby make an effort to touch the fringe of the priest’s garment. This action clearly resonates with the instances when people touched Jesus’ clothes and were healed, and it is a beautiful expression liturgy’s power.

Such a ritual isn’t empty “symbolic” action—it seriously demonstrates a unity of intention, in which one sees the gesture directed at the priest as done to Christ himself. Touching the priest’s garment expresses a desire to receive the healing that Jesus, in his great power, can distribute.

One could say that today’s Gospel lesson illustrates a model for the Church: to be a hospital, which by distributing sacraments, brings us into contact with Christ, the great Healer of our ills.

Yours in Christ,

—Justin