An Advent reflection on Matthew 9:27–31 that shows how the gentle touch of Jesus brings healing to our hidden wounds.(5-12-25)
Praise be to Jesus Christ
In 1995, in the USA, ( at Massachusetts Memorial Hospital in Worcester), twin girls were born very prematurely. One of them was strong, but the other, (little Brielle Jackson), was fighting for her life. Doctors slowly began to lose hope. A nurse (Gayle Kasparian) felt a quiet inspiration to try something different. She placed the weak baby in the same incubator as her stronger sister, Kyrie. Something amazing happened instantly. The healthy twin slipped her tiny arm around Brielle. Her breathing became calm, her heartbeat became steady, and over the next days she slowly recovered. The world came to know this moment as the “rescuing hug.”
This true incident teaches a very deep truth. A gentle touch can heal what even medicine cannot fully cure. If the touch of a new-born child can give life back to another, imagine the healing that flows from the touch of Jesus.
This is exactly what we see in today’s Gospel when we hear the simple words, “Jesus touched their eyes.” A touch may look small on the outside, but when it is God who touches, a new creation begins. Advent is the time when God prepares to place His gentle hand on a wounded world once again.
We already know from daily life how powerful a gentle touch can be. A child who wakes up frightened becomes calm the moment a mother places her hand on the child’s back. A father’s hand on the shoulder gives courage, safety, and strength. A loving touch tells a child, “You are safe, you are loved, you are not alone.” If a human touch can bring such deep comfort, imagine what the touch of Jesus can do in our lives.
The prophet Isaiah promises a day when the blind will see, the lonely will rejoice, and the weak will find strength. This is not the promise of a distant God who watches from far away. It is the promise of a God who comes close, a God with hands, a God who touches what is broken and repairs it with love.
Every home has its rough places. There may be old memories that still hurt, relationships that have grown cold, misunderstandings that created silence between people who once cared deeply for each other. Advent invites us not to cover these wounds but to let God gently touch them. Healing begins only when His hand rests on the place that is hurting.
We see this again in the lives of the saints. God touched them first, and then their touch healed others. When St. Francis of Assisi embraced a leper, both the leper’s heart and Francis’s own fears were healed. When St. Teresa of Calcutta lifted the dying from the streets and touched them with tenderness, many felt loved for the first time in their lives. St. Damien of Molokai touched the wounds of lepers without fear. His touch gave them hope. Even the touch of St. John Paul II changed a life. When he held the hands of the man who shot him, the assassin later said he felt the touch of God in that moment of forgiveness.
The touch of Jesus is always gentle, like a carpenter smoothing rough wood. And just as a guitar produces beautiful music when touched by its master, a life touched by Jesus begins to produce harmony, peace, and joy. Healing is rarely instant. Wood becomes smooth only by staying under the carpenter’s hand. The heart becomes whole when it remains under God’s touch again and again.
This Advent, let us be bold enough to pray, “Lord, touch the place I have hidden.” Wherever His gentle hand rests, new sight, new peace, and new life begin, just as the rescuing hug restored life to a fragile child.
⇒If you find this reflection meaningful and fruitful, please share it with others
The Team Search offers retreats, reflections, and classes for religious and others on various biblical themes, the Eucharist, prayer, spiritual direction, Missiology, English phonetics (basic & advanced), Mariology, the Sacraments, the Desert Fathers, and more. We are happy to assist you if you find it hard to get a resource person for any Christian topic.
♦Contact: thesearch1994@gmail.com
God Bless…
Very meaningful and touching homily. Thank you Father 👍
Father’s, I Sincerely thank you for your effort in preparing a meaningful homily and for helping me become more aware of my conduct in my interactions with others.
Oh wonderful message, keep it up, Nirmal Mary SAB, 👍