A world that is greatly in need of God and love
In today’s Gospel reading, we see Jesus heal a sick man who was tormented by an unclean spirit for a long time, while the First Reading affirms the Book of Deuteronomy, fulfilling the promise that the coming Messiah will be chosen from among us and will set all of us free.
This freedom which Jesus brings is needed in our world because of the ills of life and brokenness that people go through every day. In our world each one needs Jesus to heal something in their lives. With many sufferings in the world, people are in need of a saviour. Each person has his / her own different needs in the world. Some are hurt while others are living in fear; some are asking God for healing from different types of ailments while others are crying for freedom.
Each of us should search our hearts and be the arms and legs of Jesus in our own little way especially in our homes, schools, places of employment, neighbourhood and parishes. It is through necessary sacrifices, hard work and daily prayer that we can contribute in our own little way by requesting Jesus, the saviour of the world, to send his healing hands upon us.
St. Mother Teresa of Calcutta noted that the greatest disease in the world was not tuberculosis or leprosy but was being unwanted, unloved or uncared for. She noted that physical diseases could be cured with medicine, but that the only cure for loneliness, despair and hopelessness was love. She highlighted that there were many in the world who were dying for a piece of bread but that many more were dying for a little love.
The poverty in the world is a different kind of poverty; it is not only a poverty of loneliness but also of spirituality. There’s a hunger for love, as there is a hunger for God. We hear of wars, conflicts and so on. It can only take Jesus, the prince of peace, to save the world.
John Correa C.S.Sp.
