Everyone is loved

On Monday of this past week, the World Day of the Sick was celebrated in various parts of the world, including right here in this city.  Priests from the various parishes in the surrounding area were here for a meeting and this opportunity also gave us a chance to visit patients in the hospital, at Saint Joseph’s Manor and at the Oaks.  As we visited, we saw many smiling faces and heard many people thank us for our presence on that day.  It was important for us to be close to those who are sick on that day so that we could touch the wounds of our brothers and sisters (His Holiness, Pope Francis), and so that they could know of God’s closeness to them in their time of need.

Today’s gospel passage gives a detailed account of those in the time of Jesus who were most often ignored by the rest of society, and even today, they help us to understand that there is an important difference between valuing someone for the sake of something we can hold on to in this life, and truly loving them for who they are, in spite of the fact that they might have nothing.  In fact this is the very reason why we gather here week after week.  We come to worship our God who has always looked upon us with a loving glance, ever since the moment when we were conceived.

Imagine for a moment the surprise with which that crowd must have heard Jesus’ words: Blessed are you who are poor ... blessed are you who are hungry ... blessed are you who weep ... blessed are you when people hate you ... exclude you, revile you and defame you on account of the Son of Man (Lk 6:20-23).  In fact, even today, we need to hear these words.  They provide a valuable reminder that each and every one of us is precious in the eyes of God.  Far too often, we might forget this simple but profound truth, and find ourselves reacting to others, and maybe even judging others according to the measure of this world.  Rather, we should always try to see the world through the eyes of faith, and never lose sight of the fact that we are all brothers and sisters; each of us is infinitely loved by our God who created us.

The prophet Jeremiah explained the infinite love that God has for us in this way: Blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord (Jer 17:7).  Perhaps, we might ask ourselves: how implicitly do I trust in the Lord?  Do I place all matters in God’s hands, or do I try to take matters into my own hands, even though I know that God will never provide anything that would harm me?  Do I truly believe that God will always love me, and only seek that which will be good for me?

It might be difficult for us to truly believe this, but we would not be the first to doubt.  Saint Paul wrote to the early Christians in Corinth at a time when they too were experiencing doubts about whether it was actually true that Jesus was the Christ, the chosen and beloved Son of God, and that he had risen from the dead.  Listen again to what he says: If for this life only we have hoped in Christ, we are of all people, most to be pitied ... but Christ has been raised from the dead (1 Cor 15:19-20).  This is the good news that all Christians need to know: Christ has been raised from the dead.  We need to share this good news with everyone we meet, so that we all can come to believe that we are God’s precious children.