“Everyone is looking for you,” Simon and the Apostles tell Jesus in today’s Gospel.
It’s still true. Everyone is looking for Christ. Some people just don’t know it yet—they think they’re looking for sex or money or comfort or health or affirmation or success. The human heart yearns for the healing of Christ, even though we often think that other things will heal us more easily.
Even in the Gospels, people often seek Jesus thinking that what they are looking for is bodily healing, when what Jesus actually offers them is healing that deeply transforms them into an entirely new creation in His name.
Echoing across centuries, Jesus came to Saint Faustina in her need for healing. He said: “Fear not, because you are not alone. I am always supporting you, so lean on Me as you struggle, fearing nothing. Take the vessel of trust and draw from the fountain of life—for yourself, but also for other souls, especially such as are distrustful of My goodness.” (source)
When we know that what we are looking for is indeed Jesus, we are able to draw succor from His grace and then share it with others. Our seeking hearts are all looking for Him, and He comes to us. When we are healed, we can share Him with others, just as He told Saint Faustina and just as He ventured to new towns with His friends.
We are His friends and companions, we are the healed souls, and we are the ones who can lead others to their healing until the whole town is gathered at the door, just like in today’s Gospel.
Learn more about Saint Faustina if you're unfamiliar. And have you read parts or all of her diary? It's so worth picking up.
Brigid Hogan is a high school English and ESL teacher who lives in northeast DC. She is passionate about Catholic social teaching and tries to live it out daily in her relationships and community. Most of her pleasures are guilty ones like television, burritos, and Twitter. Find out more about her here. She is the author of our Blessed Conversations Mystery: Beloved found here.
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