The health of the body and of the soul

When he came down from the mountain, great crowds followed him. And behold, a leper came to him and knelt before him, saying, “Lord, if you will, you can make me clean.” And Jesus stretched out his hand and touched him, saying, “I will; be clean.” And immediately his leprosy was cleansed. And Jesus said to him, “See that you say nothing to anyone, but go, show yourself to the priest and offer the gift that Moses commanded, for a proof to them.”. (Matthew 8: 1-4)

Jesus prefers that those he has miraculously healed should not tell anyone about what happened so as to avoid a mad search for extraordinary events as ends in themselves. Healings, in fact, are signs that serve only to underscore and confirm Jesus' teachings. The healing Jesus aims for is that of our soul, which is much more important than any healing of the body. So when we legitimately ask the Lord for the health of our bodies, in the event that he does not seem to listen to us, let us try to resist the temptation of discouragement and rebellion by trusting in God's judgement. Let us, at any rate, ask God to heal our soul.