I arrived last night from Toronto. The temperature there was 14 degrees below zero. Here in Manila it is very warm. From my own experience and knowing my own body, with the sudden change in temperature I would most likely develop rashes and my pimples would start coming out again.
When these occur, it is very likely that some of you will approach me and offer medicines for my ailments. I am sure that you experience the same situation where everybody becomes a self-proclaimed physician, offering improvised cures and relief. I see nothing wrong with this because these are reactions borne out of compassion and a desire to help.
I appreciate it very much when people offer me medicines and suggest ways to alleviate my pains. I hope you do the same because these acts are borne out of only one thing – compassion. They stem from the desire to see our friends free from suffering
The Lord also tells this to us. We may have compassion for people with physical ailments but what the Lord tells us is to have compassion for people with spiritual ailments.
In the Gospel today, the Lord sent his disciples to expel demons, to heal those who are sick, not only of physical ailments but also of spiritual ones. Spiritual illnesses like desolation in prayer, grudges held against God, loneliness and boredom. These are spiritual ailments.
If we are eager to cure each other’s physical ailments, the Lord tells us that we must be equally eager, perhaps even doubly eager, t° attend to each other’s spiritual ailments.
Maybe you do not have the capacity to give the right advice but certainly you have the capacity to pray for those who are spiritually sick.
Maybe you are not the proper counselor: you may not have a degree in Psychology, bur certainly you have the capacity within you to give a helping hand, to give a tap on the shoulder, co make a long delayed phone call, to write a letter of support and assistance. These are not very expensive medicines but they can mean a lot to people who are spiritually sick.
The Lord has given us the power to cure every disease – of the body and of the soul. Let us be aware of our capacity to heal Let us look around us to find out who are spiritually sick. Let us look into ourselves and let our inner capacity to heal our fellowman’s spiritual sicknesses come out.
THE POWER TO CURE
Mt. 10:8
Only Jesus, Always Jesus
