HE HEALS THE BROKEN HEARTED AND
BINDS UP THEIR WOUNDS
BINDS UP THEIR WOUNDS
How can we follow the healing Christ? We cannot work miracles…
Nevertheless, we can be friendly and cheerful; lifting up the spirits of
others. We can listen and pray!
A priest friend of
mine stopped to visit a poor family in Sioux Falls, SD, where I once lived. As
he greeted the mother she burst into tears and exclaimed, "Oh Father, I
just knew you would come today. I know you can help me." She poured forth a
long list of problems and troubles. Here and there Fr. Joe offered a word of
hope and encouragement but he seemed so utterly helpless in the face of all her
miseries. Finally she finished. She paused a moment and then said, "Oh,
Father, you have been such a help to me. You settled all my problems." He
was bewildered; he had not solved a single problem. Then Fr. Joe began to
realize that it was care and compassion that she needed most of all.
Today's Gospel
tells us that Jesus "healed many who were sick with various diseases"
(Mark 1:34). He could; He was God. How can we follow the healing Christ? We
cannot work miracles; we cannot cure with the touch of a hand, a word, or a
gesture. Nevertheless, we can share in the healing work of Jesus by visiting
and praying for the sick. Like the priest in our story we may feel helpless,
even discouraged in the face of pain, suffering, and need which we cannot
relieve, much less cure. Jesus promised heaven to those who served Him when He
said, "Come...inherit the Kingdom prepared for you...for I was sick and
you visited Me..." Even the Old Testament urges us to "be not slow to
visit the sick; for by these things thou shalt be confirmed in love" (Sir.
7:39). We can be friendly and cheerful;
lifting up the spirits of others. We can listen and pray!
Who are we really
taking our troubles to? Jesus' disciples freely brought their troubles to Him
because they found Him ready and able to deal with any difficulty, affliction,
or sickness that they encountered. When Simon brought Jesus to his home, his
mother-in-law was instantly healed because Jesus heard Simon's prayer. We need
to allow Jesus to be the Healer in our lives, families, and communities. God's
healing restores us not only to health but also to active service and care for
others.
Jerome, a 3rd
century Church Father, applies the lesson of the healing of Simon's
mother-in-law to us, "Can you imagine Jesus standing before your bed and
you continue sleeping? It is absurd that you would remain in bed in His
presence. Where is Jesus? He is already
here offering Himself to us. 'In the middle,' he says, 'among you He stands,
Whom you do not recognize' (John 1:26). 'The Kingdom of God is in your midst'
(Mark 1:15). Faith beholds Jesus among us. If we are unable to seize His hand,
let us prostrate ourselves at His feet.
If we are unable to reach His head, let us wash His feet with our tears
(Lk. 7:38). Our repentance is the perfume of the Savior."
So my dear friends,
being a presence and being there for each other is what this is about. Prayer
is also a key for caring for those who are ill and in need. We can pray for
those who are in need of prayer today; and we can pray tomorrow and every day
for one another.
Let us unite with
Jesus in doing God's service to others?