The Light Shines in the Darkness, and the Darkness Has Not Overcome It
Jesus Knows Our Sorrows and Offers Healing
Photo By: Flickr/James Shepard
“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.
About the Author
Born and raised in a faithful Catholic family, I wandered far from my faith for nearly two decades. Through the infinite mercy of Christ and His Church, I found my way back home to the Catholic Church in the early 90s, and began a path of rediscovery of the beauty and truth of the Catholic faith, eventually earning a Bachelor's degree in Christian Tradition. A stay-at-home Mom for many years, my Church ministries grew to include teaching Catechism and First Eucharist classes, writing and facilitating retreats for healing after abortion, and becoming active in pro-life work with our local 40 Days for Life campaign in the Tri-Cities, Washington as an organizer, participant, speaker, and writer. My desire to share the greatest gift of my life, Jesus Christ in the Eucharist and His Divine Mercy, has found expression in my writing. My articles have been published locally in the Tri-City Herald's Spiritual Life and editorial columns; in the Carmelite Digest; Celebrate Life magazine; and recently in the National Catholic Register.
Links to these articles and more can be found on my blog at http://www.catholicethics.blogspot.com/. My Catholic Ethics page is on Facebook at:https://www.facebook.com/CatholicEthics.
