Healing With Love!

Saturday, July 18, 2026

Mic 2: 1-5; Mt 12:14-21

Today’s Gospel invites us to learn from Jesus the art of healing with love.

It is shocking to read in the first verse about the plot by the Pharisees to kill Jesus. We must remember that the religious leaders so far accused or found fault with the Lord. Now they sought his life. If we ask why Jesus reaps this hatred and murder plot, the answer lies in his goodness. The way Jesus is resisted demonstrates that doing good does not always guarantee appreciation. However, in all these, Jesus remains faithful to the Father’s will.

Secondly, Jesus responds to the pressing crowd through his characteristic goodness. The crowd does not allow Jesus some personal time, and it is pressing in on him. However, Jesus does not mistake the pressing of the crowd. Nor is he growing impatient or angry about it. Instead, he takes their behaviour to be evidence of their faith and heals them all. The good Lord is incredibly generous too.

Thirdly, Matthew explains Jesus’ actions by quoting the Servant Song from Isaiah. The prophecy emphasizes one remarkable quality of Jesus – his gentleness. However, it should not be mistaken for his weakness or cowardice. Without overly asserting himself, Jesus lets his authority flow from the Spirit of God dwelling within him. That is why Jesus’ spiritual and moral authority was feared by the religious leaders of his time. 

Fourthly, Isaiah highlights the tenderness of the Messiah, the Servant of YHWH. ‘A bruised reed he will not break, and a smoldering wick he will not quench.’ While bruised reed and smoldering wick are useless for many, Jesus sees value where others see only weakness. Jesus’ approach reminds us that we are healed and transformed by God’s mercy.

Finally, in the verse, ‘In his name the Gentiles will hope,’ we find a pointer to the universal mission of Jesus. In his ministry, Jesus broke the barriers that divided humanity. He invited his audience to understand and experience God as a God of mercy, compassion, forgiveness, and justice. By also making Gentiles an integral part of his mission, Jesus invites us to embrace his openness. 

Thus, Jesus’ exemplary response happens even as he was hated and reviled. In other words, Jesus teaches us the art of defeating hatred and evil. It is no exaggeration to claim that the Servant of God heals humanity with love. 

Let us pray that we may imitate Jesus’ method of healing humanity with love.

Fr. Dhinakaran Savariyar