Reading and meditation on the Word of God on Thursday of the thirteenth week in ordinary time, July 2nd, 2026

Delivered by Father Peter Tukan, SDB from Salesian Don Bosco Gerak in the Diocese of Labuan Bajo, Indonesia. Amos 7: 10-17; Rs psalm 19: 8.9.10.11; Matthew 9: 1-8.TOTAL HEALING Our meditationtoday has the theme: Total Healing. There was a man known as a troublemaker inhis neighborhood. The people there were afraid of him. He was a drunkard and adrug user as well. Then he became a drug dealer whose actions were so brutal,especially towards someone who wanted to say or do something against him. Inshort, his mental state, moral values and faith have been very bad to allaround him. However, thepolice force finally succeeded in putting him down after a violence broke outin the city and he was noticed as the main figure who was the brain of theincident. Both of his legs were badly hit with two bullets sinking into themand he was almost completely paralyzed. In the end he had to spend days, monthsand years in prison. His neighborhood became safe and peaceful without him. Now there was areligious person who came to visit him regularly and that man was able toreceive proper spiritual accompaniment and formation. This man then acquired alot of spiritual experience and moral guidance during his life in prison. Allthese helps have benefitted him to have a new outlook from which he could begina new life. The change gradually occurred in him. When his term in prisonfinished and he was back to his family, he was truly a new person. He lookedfresh and healthy. His words and deeds, his way of understanding and behavingpleased everybody. His thought about life was open and full of wisdom. Hisfaith grew again. That man'sexperience is an example of a total healing. This type of healing is what JesusChrist wants to occur in us, which includes the aspects of physical, mental,social and spiritual growth. At that particular moment of His ministry, Jesusknew that the paralytic man was also a sinner so what He treated first in thatman was to cast out his sins by forgiving him. After that Jesus mended him fromhis physical sickness, then healed also his mind and soul. Many of us wantto be cured only partially, not wanting a total healing. Maybe we are justlooking for a certain physical or mental healing which is already sufficientfor us. A person may have recovered from stress and disappointment, but he orshe still has anger and a plan of revenge to the one who has disappointed himor her. People may feel comfortable after receiving the Sacrament ofReconciliation, but they do not regret their sins, thus they easily fall intothe same sins. All these indicate what we call the half recovery. This meansthat we are still sick. We need to point out certain parts of ourselves that have not yetbeen healed because we have not paid attention to healing. Those parts arelikely to be the barriers for making a total healing in ourselves. We need togive attention to this in order to obtain a complete recovery. Let us pray ... Inthe name of the Father ... O most holy Father, look upon us and heal us,especially the parts within us that have not been healed, because we tend toavoid being healed. Please grant us your grace of healing. Our Father who artin heaven ... In the name of the Father ...