Lord God, take my words and speak through them, take our minds and think through them, take our hearts and set them on fire with love for you, you who are Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Amen.

Lourdes
Most of us will have heard of Lourdes, the Roman Catholic shrine in southern France. It’s said that, 150 or so years ago, the Blessed Virgin Mary appeared to a saintly young woman named Bernadette there.

Pilgrims, hoping to be cured of their ailments, continue to visit the shrine in large numbers. Over the years, many thousand have left behind their crutches as witnesses to the Lord’s power, to make them well.

Nothing new
This sort of thing is of course nothing new. Pilgrims throughout the ages have made their way to sacred places, such as Compostela and Walsingham, in the hope of finding healing, wholeness and well-being.

Many people dismiss such journeys of faith as piety gone astray, and as especially inappropriate in an age of medical advances such as our own. They say the time would be better spent visiting medical experts.

Yet many people have also come to the realization that healing is an essential element of the Gospel message. Christians have long treasured the scenes of healing found throughout both the Hebrew and Christian Scriptures. Surely, the Lord will not disappoint those who today come seeking his power and favour in their own lives.

Jesus’ ministry began with healing
The ministry of Jesus began with healing. Think about the first chapter of the Gospel of Mark. No sooner had Jesus called his disciples to his side than he cured a man with an unclean spirit (Mark 1:23-26).

Then, leaving the synagogue, he entered the house of Simon-Peter and his brother Andrew only to find Simon-Peters mother-in-law in bed with a fever. Our Lord took her by the hand and lifted her up. The fever left her, and she got back about her life (Mark 1:29-31).