THE POWER OF TOUCH

There's Healing in the Power of Touch

A leper came to Jesus and kneeling down begged him and said,

“If you wish, you can make me clean.”

Moved with pity, he stretched out his hand,

touched him and said to him, “I do will it.

Be made clean.”

What Jesus did in the gospel today was absolutely forbidden and against the law in his day and in his culture, but that didn't stop him. Let me count the ways. First, he let a leper approach him. Forbidden! Second, he let a leper speak to him. Forbidden! Third, he stretched out his hand and touched him - yes, touched him! Absolutely forbidden! Fourth, he spoke to the leper! Again, forbidden!

Leprosy, at the time of Jesus, was considered a curse from God for some past sin! This disease made them profoundly impure, not only socially, but also spiritually. To be declared unclean because of leprosy meant that the unfortunate person had to tear his clothes and put a covering upon his upper lip and cry, "unclean, unclean." (Today, he would probably be wearing a COVID mask!) Since the Jews were concerned that the condition was contagious, such individuals were forced to to live separated on the outskirts of town, often in cemeteries. Ostracized from the community, they were left homeless, left to scavenge for food and to do without the support structure of family and friends. They were forbidden to have any contact with people who did not have the disease and they had to ring a bell and shout “unclean” if anyone approached them.

Even in approaching Jesus, the leper was in violation of Levitical law. In touching the leper, Jesus also defied Levitical law. The poor leper had probably been cut off from the experience of human touch for an extended period of time. Jesus profoundly understood the spiritual, psychological and physical healing power of touch. That's why Jesus reached out and touched the poor leper. Maybe the poor leper had not experienced the touch of another human being for years. In his healing miracles, Jesus could have healed people by simply waving his hand over them. However, because he understood the power of touch, Jesus routinely laid his hands on the sick, touching their eyes, ears and even their tongues. Then there is the story of people bringing their children to him so that he might touch them. Children love to be held, patted and hugged. They were crawling all over him one one occasion when the disciples tried to beak it up. Jesus was not having it! He knew they needed to be held, hugged and patted on their heads, not just talked down to from a distance.

I am reminded again today that human beings are wired to touch and be touched. When a child is born, that is how they bond with their mothers - through touch. Our wiring system has touch everywhere, so it’s difficult for us not to think about physical contact. Skin is the largest organ in the human body, covering us from head to toe. Our desire for physical contact starts at birth.

“If a baby is born prematurely, the baby is often placed in the neonatal intensive care unit, but the mother is still asked to go into the unit a few times a day to hold her baby and put her baby on her chest, even if her baby is not breastfeeding,” When I was pastor here at the Cathedral, I was "chaplain on call" at Norton Children's Hospital down the street. I remember going to the neonatal intensive care unit to baptize little "preemies" with an eye dropper filled with water. I would see mothers holding their sick babies. We even had a nun here as a Cathedral parishioner who volunteered regularly at Children's Hospital and Home of the Innocents just to hold sick babies. We know that this bonding, this human-to-human touch, is important for the growth of those children.

Even as adults, touch helps regulate our digestion and sleep, and even boosts our immune systems. Hugging can also help our bodies fight off infections. When physical contact becomes limited or eliminated, people can develop a condition called "touch starvation" or "touch deprivation." "Touch starvation" increases stress, depression and anxiety, triggering a cascade of negative physiological effects. The body releases the hormone cortisol as a response to stress. This can increase heart rate, blood pressure, respiration and muscle tension, and can suppress the digestive and immune systems, increasing the risk of infection. People who are stressed or depressed, perhaps because of a lack of touch, have problems sleeping.

When we hug or feel a friendly touch on our skin, our brains release a neuropeptide involved in increasing positive, feel-good sensations of trust, emotional bonding and social connection, while decreasing fear and anxiety responses in the brain at the same time. For this reason, that particular neuropeptide is affectionately known as the “cuddle hormone.” I witnessed this back in my "marriage preparation" days. On this Valentine's Day, I am reminded of those young couples who would come into the rectory, and while they were sitting on the couch and I was trying to make a few points, I usually gave up. They were not paying attention to a damned thing I was saying. They were too involved in pawing each other right there in front of me! They may not have been interested in exploring the theology of marriage, but they were certainly interested in exploring the power of touch!

Years ago, realizing that Jesus knew the healing power of touch, I adopted the practice of having the whole family, not just me, lay hands on the sick person and pray silently when I was called to celebrate the Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick in their home or at the hospital. It was a powerfully moving experience for the sick person, for the family of the sick person and for me, as we all laid hands on the person I was about to anoint, praying silently. The feeling of holy oil being rubbed on the head and hands of the sick person was another powerful moment of touch for the sick person and for this priest!

I can still remember feeling the hands of the bishop and all the priests of the Diocese, one by one, being laid on my head when I was ordained. I could almost feel power being passed from them, through their touching hands, into me as a new priest. I can also still remember the feeling and the smell of the chrism oil being rubbed on the palms of my hands by the bishop at my ordination as a priest.

The power of touch, I believe, is also obvious in the Catholic practice of keeping the relics of saints for veneration. Being able to touch a piece of their bones, a hair from their heads or maybe a piece of their clothes, brings them closer than just simply reading about them or looking at their images.

In fact, we Catholics are very much involved in the power of touch in our worship services. While our Protestant brothers and sisters are mostly cerebral - listening, reading, speaking and singing - we are mostly touchy-feely - holy water, candles, holy oils, kissing the altar, kissing the cross on Good Friday, waving palms, statues, relics, rosaries, crucifixes, genuflecting, bread, robes, incense, processions, wine, ashes, standing, sitting, kneeling and, until recently, the sign of peace.

Speaking of the power of touch, one of the saddest things about the COVID pandemic is what it is doing to our oldest family members, especially those in nursing homes. I volunteer at the Little Sisters of the Poor so I hear about it. Touching is regarded as a special type of non-verbal communication and is perhaps the most powerful sense of all, especially for older persons and persons living with dementia. No one can deny the warm feeling we experience when we are touched. Hugs, holding hands and other physical gestures of affection have the potential to ease our fears, make us feel less isolated, and reduce stress and anxiety. However, during this global pandemic, we have all been ruthlessly reminded of the significance of not being able to hug the ones we love or be close to our dearest friends. Many have spent weeks and months with no physical contact with another person and have really experienced how a lack of touch can affect overall wellbeing. I believe older persons living in care homes have experienced this more than most of us. There is no doubt that residents are missing loved ones, sad that they can only wave to their grandchildren through the window or on a laptop screen. The absence of touch is having devastating affects on those in nursing homes. I am so happy that they are the first to get the new vaccinations. Maybe they will live to feel the healing power of touch again someday soon, God willing!

                                  

"HE TOUCHED ME"

Yolanda Adams