Helping the helpless

GospelMT 4:12-17, 23-25

When Jesus heard that John had been arrested,
he withdrew to Galilee.
He left Nazareth and went to live in Capernaum by the sea,
in the region of Zebulun and Naphtali,
that what had been said through Isaiah the prophet
might be fulfilled:

Land of Zebulun and land of Naphtali,
the way to the sea, beyond the Jordan,
Galilee of the Gentiles,
the people who sit in darkness
have seen a great light,
on those dwelling in a land overshadowed by death
light has arisen.

From that time on, Jesus began to preach and say,
“Repent, for the Kingdom of heaven is at hand.”

He went around all of Galilee,
teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the Gospel of the Kingdom,
and curing every disease and illness among the people.
His fame spread to all of Syria,
and they brought to him all who were sick with various diseases
and racked with pain,
those who were possessed, lunatics, and paralytics,
and he cured them.
And great crowds from Galilee, the Decapolis, Jerusalem, and Judea,
and from beyond the Jordan followed him.

In today's reading Jesus is helping the helpless, the outcasts - people with incurable diseases, people with what probably had some kind of mental illness, the paralyzed and marginalized.  He showed compassion and cured them and in so doing demonstrated that he was indeed the Son of God.  This is why Pope Francis in such a short time has become so beloved - he embraces the mission of the church to reach out to those that are helpless, oppressed, and alienated in this day and age.  And this spirit of compassion is one that I am trying to cultivate in our boys.  It's why we volunteered at the Food Bank over the Thanksgiving break; it's why we volunteered at MedShare.  We have so much and there are so many who have so little.  I am at my best when I seek out the helpless and find a way to make a difference.