THE POWER OF TOUCH

by: Frank Schuster
Energy Healer
520-721-2456

A leper came to him begging Jesus, and kneeling he said to him, "If you are willing, you can make me clean." Moved with compassion, Jesus stretched out his hand and touched him, and said to him, "I am willing. Be clean!" Immediately the leprosy left him, and he was made clean.

This account of Jesus healing the leper is a powerful one for me as I think of the power of touch as it relates to my experience with touch healing. When we lovingly touch someone with the intent to heal, something wonderful and inexplicable happens. What happens is healing at some level – maybe not immediate and complete healing as was the case when Jesus touched the leper. Yet, there is a lesson here for us besides the fact that Jesus performed miracle healings.

Perhaps Jesus did this to show us that we also can help someone heal. The healing occurred on two levels - one is the healing of prejudice, condemnation, taboos and restrictions that so commonly plague the human condition. I can imagine the voices of the bystanders warning Jesus not to come near the leper, much less touch him, but through all of the clamor and prejudice, Jesus reached out and touched him. The marvel of it all! I am so glad that Jesus touched him because in doing so he touched me! He cancelled all the taboos, all the fear and said,” I am willing. Be clean!” Secondly, Jesus demonstrated the power to effect a physical cure of the feared disease through touch.

Dare we do less than offer a healing hand to one in distress? We may not be able to cure a leper, but we have great power in our hands - the power of a loving touch. We can reach out to a suffering one with a healing touch and in doing so make God’s love real to that person if only for a moment. Perhaps that is enough for healing to begin in the body. Through touch we can communicate hope and proclaim the Good News of God’s love for all people.

I believe we are missing the mark by not using our God-given power of touch healing. Are we willing to lovingly touch each other? Let us be God’s hands and reach out in love. God has given us this gift. We are His hands. This is The Way and it involves us. That is what Jesus did. I intend to make it my business to emulate Jesus and leave the results to God.