Faith in Jesus enables us to come together

“He summoned the Twelve and gave them power and authority over all demons and to cure diseases, and he sent them out to proclaim the kingdom of God and to heal.” (Luke 9:1-2)

The twelve Apostles were chosen from different walks of life. They differed not only in terms of their backgrounds, but also in their understanding and therefore, response to Jesus. Not every one of the Apostles understood what Jesus was trying to say and do, when it actually happened before their very eyes. And this affected their response to his commands.

However, the message of Jesus to them was loud and clear that they were to continue the mission began by him. When Jesus sends out the Twelve, he gives them authority to preach and to heal. This was because Jesus trusted that they would continue the mission entrusted to him. They were all different, but they all had one mission, to continue the healing mission of Jesus.

As disciples of Jesus, the mission today, is no different. We are called to be healers. Jesus went about healing the infirmities and afflictions of people. And he did this to both Jews and Gentiles alike. In the process, he was also healing the divisions that existed between people. He was opening the grace of God, and salvation to everyone. He made every attempt to bring people together.

In a world wounded by divisions of all sorts, we are called to continue the mission began by Jesus. Definitely, there has to be every effort and attempt to preach his words of comfort and to heal the physical infirmities of the afflicted. But the mission does not end there. In a world that is divided, we are called to seek ways for healing and to bridge the gaps that exist between people.

Often we seek, as human beings, to find what separates us. And the divisions are all well visible, that we find it easy to identify them and remain divided. What is required today, is to seek what unites us, rather than what divides us. There can be differences, but there need not be divisions. Differences are part of created beings, but not divisions.

What unites us is that we are all children of the same God, who created us in his image. We might look different, might speak different languages, might have different understanding of faith and faith affiliations, but we are all children of the same God.

Today, what Jesus asks of us is to be healers of the divisions that we encounter in our lives. As St. Paul reminds us, we are given the ‘ministry of reconciliation’. We have the power. What me might lack, is the will. To follow Jesus is to acquire the courage to be a healer, with the power of love that comes from him.