Jesus Knows Our Sorrows and Offers Healing

“I once was lost but now I’m found… was blind but now I see.”

~ Amazing Grace

Our Lord is not far off, unconcerned with our human condition, but He cares deeply about our sorrows; He knows and grieves with us each time we are hurt or wounded, and He offers us healing, if we just turn to Him. The prophet Isaiah promises that the Christ will bring healing to those who suffer, saying, “the eyes of the blind be opened, the ears of the deaf be cleared; then will the lame leap like a stag… the tongue of the mute will sing.” Jesus both fulfills and echoes those prophesies in His reply to the disciples of John the Baptist, who approach Him to ask if He is the promised Messiah: “Go and tell John what you hear and see:  the blind regain their sight, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the poor have the good news proclaimed to them.”

This dimension of our Savior is the one I have encountered. He is my help and salvation. So many times I have been blind to the truth, and He gently opened my eyes. I have been deaf to the needs of my brother, and His quiet whisper stirred my heart to action. How often I have stumbled along, unable to find the path to Him, and He took my hand and led me; I have been silent when I should speak out against injustice, and His Holy Spirit inspired me to begin speaking. And every day in our wonderful Church, we, the poorest of the poor, have the Good News proclaimed to us. In our Church, where Christ is present to us until the end of time, we are cleansed of sin and raised up to new life.

Jesus, the Merciful Healer, remains with us in the Sacraments, in Scripture, and in the healing hands and forgiving hearts of our brothers and sisters. Do you need healing? Turn to Him, trust in His mighty power and His merciful heart, and you will find peace, joy, and new life – even – perhaps especially – in times of suffering and hardship.