Like many people, I was nurtured in a "touchy-feely" culture. Many of our pains, physical or otherwise, were soothed and massaged away by the healing touch of our loved ones. Holding, hugging, and kissing were all integral parts of our growing up years. 
Touching helps in making us feel safe, loved, and not alone. We learned the science behind all these touching moments much later. I always have a bottle of Vicki's Vaporub. Its scent alone reminds me of Nanay's "haplos ng pagmamahal."
If we read our Bibles and pray everyday, we will grow, grow, and grow in the realization that many of the healing narratives in the Gospels involve touching. Sunday's lection has two sections: the first part has a woman suffering for twelve years who touches Jesus's cloak; in the second part, Jesus touches a twelve-year old girl's hand and tells her to rise up.
The pandemic has left millions dead and tens of millions disenfranchised. Most of those who died were alone. No last visit. No last rites. No last touch. Years of physical distancing has made so many of the living socially distant. Alone. Depressed. Afraid. And in desperate need to touch someone or be touched.
Friends, someone somewhere right now needs a healing touch. Someone somewhere right now needs to experience "Immanuel."
*art, "Healing of the Daughter of Jairus," (JESUS MAFA) available at vanderbilt divinity library archives.
**read How to Hug During a Pandemic (The New York Times)
***Of course there are many that have the opposite experience about touching and being touched. Topic for another post.
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