Still having water on my mind ... repentance, new creation, rebirth, life ... as I was reading about Jesus' ministry in Galilee, I was struck by Mark 1:38, Jesus' answer to his disciples when they came looking for Him after He had gone off to pray, "And He said to them, 'Let us go somewhere else to the towns nearby, in order that I may preach there also; for that is what I came for.'"
At the time, He was healing those who were ill and stricken with demons. The needy and afflicted were coming to Him and He tended to them, just as so often prayed in the Psalter. This is a good and salutary thing to do.
Yet what was just as important, more so really, was that Jesus preach the Word of God. Yes, care of the body is important and our bodies are precious in the sight of God. However, healing our bodies does not save us. Healing our souls does. By that I mean forgiving the sin that stains our souls, twists and scars them, leaving us only enteral death. Forgiveness won for us on the Cross. Forgiveness that comes to us through Word and Sacrament.
I think this is why I cling more to the sustenance and the healing that I receive each time I have the Living Word poured into my ears and each time I receive Christ's body and blood, than to any hope for healing of my physical body.
Please do not misunderstand. I would give most anything to be free from the myriad diseases ravaging my body and my mind. In fact, I would give anything asked of me if I could be assured I would keep my mind until the end. Yet what truly matters most to me is hearing the Word of God and receiving the Lord's Supper. In short, I honestly and deeply care more for those things than I do for physical and mental relief.
Reading Mark 1:38 made me feel a little less like a freak for thinking this way ... for it seems Jesus agrees with me!
I am Yours, Lord. Save me!
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