Commentary on the Gospel of
Wounded Healers
Faith is only genuine once it touches our attitudes and, above all, our concrete choices. To “remain” in the Word of Christ means conforming our lives to his life and virtues. The words of the Gospel imply that there are true and false disciples. There is only one way to tell the difference: whether one embraces his Word as an ideal and a rule of life.
The false security that the Jews claim on being descended from Abraham could find its parallel in us Christians who are content with our baptism and our religious practices. Many in the Church today take pride in claiming their Catholic faith and say, ‘we have been Catholics for many generations, and we grew up in strong Catholic traditions.’ Ironically, we fight among ourselves to defend our traditions while leaving the Word of God stranded in our bookshelves and pulpits of churches! Perhaps in our sincere desire and earnest efforts to remain faithful to the centuries-old traditions, we forgot to remain with the Word.
We have become Christians not because of any of our merits. We go to Church every day or every week, not because we are any better than others. Like anyone else, we are also chained by sin, but we believe in the Lord, who forgives and sets us free. Every Christian is on a mission to forgive and love. Christians should take pride not in their centuries-old customs and traditions but in God’s forgiveness and Mercy. We should be able to repeat to ourselves: “I have been forgiven, I will forgive and will be an instrument of reconciliation.”
Only a person who suffered injuries can understand with empathy the wounds of those around him. A person who acknowledges and owns up to his failures can better accompany people with all their weaknesses without being judgemental. My shortcomings and failures help me put aside my ego and give Jesus the centre stage, who can set me free.
Pope Francis tells us that the knowledge that we are wounded sets us free from becoming self-referential and thinking of ourselves as superior to others. The people with whom we interact and live do not expect us to be superheroes. They expect us to be companions, with all the weaknesses and limitations.
Wounded soldiers become bolder; wounded Christians become more loving. We say “yes” to the Lord at the start of the day and every moment of our lives… “Here I am, Lord, sinful yet loving, wounded yet willing to serve.”
