20260209 THE NEED TO EXPERIENCE THE HEALING TOUCH OF GOD
09 February 2026, Monday, 5th Week in Ordinary Time
First reading |
1 Kings 8:1-7,9-13 |
The Ark of the Covenant is brought into the Temple
Solomon called the elders of Israel together in Jerusalem to bring the ark of the covenant of the Lord up from the Citadel of David, which is Zion. All the men of Israel assembled round King Solomon in the month of Ethanim, at the time of the feast (that is, the seventh month), and the priests took up the ark and the Tent of Meeting with all the sacred vessels that were in it. In the presence of the ark, King Solomon and all Israel sacrificed sheep and oxen, countless, innumerable. The priests brought the ark of the covenant of the Lord to its place, in the Debir of the Temple, that is, in the Holy of Holies, under the cherubs’ wings. For there where the ark was placed the cherubs spread out their wings and sheltered the ark and its shafts. There was nothing in the ark except the two stone tablets Moses had placed in it at Horeb, the tablets of the covenant which the Lord had made with the Israelites when they came out of the land of Egypt; they are still there today.
Now when the priests came out of the sanctuary, the cloud filled the Temple of the Lord, and because of the cloud the priests could no longer perform their duties: the glory of the Lord filled the Lord’s Temple.
Then Solomon said:
‘The Lord has chosen to dwell in the thick cloud.
Yes, I have built you a dwelling,
a place for you to live in for ever.’
Responsorial Psalm |
Psalm 131(132):6-10 |
Go up, Lord, to the place of your rest!
At Ephrata we heard of the ark;
we found it in the plains of Yearim.
‘Let us go to the place of his dwelling;
let us go to kneel at his footstool.’
Go up, Lord, to the place of your rest!
Go up, Lord, to the place of your rest,
you and the ark of your strength.
Your priests shall be clothed with holiness;
your faithful shall ring out their joy.
For the sake of David your servant
do not reject your anointed.
Go up, Lord, to the place of your rest!
Gospel Acclamation | Jn8:12 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
I am the light of the world, says the Lord;
anyone who follows me will have the light of life.
Alleluia!
Or: | cf.Mt4:23 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
Jesus proclaimed the Good News of the kingdom
and cured all kinds of sickness among the people.
Alleluia!
Gospel | Mark 6:53-56 |
All those who touched him were cured
Having made the crossing, Jesus and his disciples came to land at Gennesaret and tied up. No sooner had they stepped out of the boat than people recognised him, and started hurrying all through the countryside and brought the sick on stretchers to wherever they heard he was. And wherever he went, to village, or town, or farm, they laid down the sick in the open spaces, begging him to let them touch even the fringe of his cloak. And all those who touched him were cured.
THE NEED TO EXPERIENCE THE HEALING TOUCH OF GOD
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [1 KGS 8:1-7, 9-13; MK 6:53-56]
In the Gospel, we read that wherever Jesus went– “to village, or town, or farm, they laid down the sick in the open spaces, begging to let them touch even the fringe of his cloak. And all those who touched him were cured.” Clearly, this shows a fundamental human need. We are not pure spirits but embodied spirits. It is therefore natural for us to desire to be touched and loved, as this is our human way of experiencing spiritual love.
We would miss the full dimension of Jesus’ healing ministry if we ignored that He mediated the power and healing grace of God through His humanity. We read, “No sooner had they stepped out of the boat than people recognised him, and started hurrying all through the countryside and brought the sick on stretchers to wherever they heard he was.” Jesus could have healed them from afar, yet He chose to touch them, letting them know that they are loved and that God is healing them. This is why the psalmist prays, “Let me see your face, O Lord, and I will live!” or “Redeem me by your love.”
Similarly, in the first reading, we hear of King Solomon calling “The elders of Israel together in Jerusalem to bring the ark of the covenant of the Lord up from the Citadel of David, which is Zion.” For the Israelites, the Ark of the Covenant symbolised the presence of God. They believed the Lord had chosen to dwell in Jerusalem, especially in the Ark, as Solomon said, “The Lord has chosen to dwell in the thick cloud. Yes, I have built you a dwelling, a place for you to live forever.”
But knowing that God was present in the Ark was not enough; they also felt the need to express their adoration and love through worship and sacrifices. “In the presence of the ark, King Solomon and all Israel sacrificed sheep and oxen, countless, innumerable. The priest brought the ark of the covenant of the Lord to its place, in the Debir of the Temple, that is, in the Holy of Holies under the cherubs’ wings.” In the Old Testament, God made it clear that He does not need our sacrifices. Yet the Israelites offered them, because expressing love is innate to humanity. We do not feel complete until that love is expressed bodily or in a tangible manner. By so doing, we achieve a unity of body and spirit in worship, exemplifying the love of God in a real way.
Furthermore, we read, “When the priests came out of the sanctuary, the cloud filled the Temple of the Lord, and because of the cloud the priests could no longer perform their duties: the glory of the Lord filled the Lord’s Temple.” Many who encounter God’s love experience physical manifestations, whether tears, warmth, peace, or joy. We should therefore be open to these personal encounters with the Lord.
Unfortunately, in the history of spirituality, there has always been the attempt to strip away the incarnate dimension of Jesus’ ministry by reducing faith to pure intellect. Today, those who seek the incarnate Lord through sacramentals–holy water, statues, images–may be dismissed as superstitious, as if their faith was of secondary importance to popular religiosity. Intellectuals often disdain devotional expressions or the need to express a love for God through signs, symbols and bodily gestures. Some even struggle to show external reverence through bowing, kneeling, or prostrating before the Eucharist.
This regrettable reductionism of the understanding of an integral faith is the result of secularisation and technology. In a world where knowledge and power, science and technology are celebrated, we have become a soulless society. Rationalism has resulted in a cerebral faith that engages the intellect in theological discussions without ever leading to prayer, which calls for a relationship with God. A non-experiential faith results in a faith without fervour or passion.
Some justify neglecting the bodily dimension of faith by citing Jesus’ call to pray in spirit and in truth. But it would be a misunderstanding to pray only with the mind, excluding heart and body. Rather, we must pray in the Spirit of Christ, in accordance with truths revealed to us through Him about the nature of God and who we are. The sincerity of our prayers matters most, and this does not exclude external forms of worship. Otherwise, why does the Church use signs, symbols, and bodily gestures in her liturgy?
The readings call us to go beyond simply worshipping God in a sacramental way. We are to become channels of God’s love to others through our humanity. How do we bring Christ to others today, if not through words of encouragement, forgiveness, hospitality, compassion, and generosity? Most of all, the human touch communicates more than words can. For it to be truly effective, it must be free from self-interest. Let us be the presence of God to others through our words, actions, and above all, through the human touch.
Best Practices for Using the Daily Scripture Reflections
- Encounter God through the spirit of prayer and the scripture by reflecting and praying the Word of God daily. The purpose is to bring you to prayer and to a deeper union with the Lord on the level of the heart.
- Daily reflections when archived will lead many to accumulate all the reflections of the week and pray in one sitting. This will compromise your capacity to enter deeply into the Word of God, as the tendency is to read for knowledge rather than a prayerful reading of the Word for the purpose of developing a personal and affective relationship with the Lord.
- It is more important to pray deeply, not read widely. The current reflections of the day would be more than sufficient for anyone who wants to pray deeply and be led into an intimacy with the Lord.
Note: You may share this reflection with someone. However, please note that reflections are not archived online nor will they be available via email request.
Written by His Eminence, Cardinal William SC Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved.
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