Jesus portrays the image of God’s love who compassionately cares for His creation. So should we, for humanity is judged by how it treats the weakest in the society. How then do we take care when humanity is suddenly hit by the horrific coronavirus pandemic?
Let’s begin with the place of Jesus’ birth! It was in a stinking lowly manger. We see God in solidarity with suffering humanity, who started His human run in poverty, born in a place of filth and humility. A case of flu, a bad cough and cold could easily be fatal when Jesus lived on the earth.
The public life and witness of Jesus is a pattern for us. Jesus intentionally went out to seek and save. Jesus inaugurated the kingdom of God on earth the sign of which was the restoration of humanity. He healed the paralytic, opened the eyes of the blind, gave hearing to the deaf. The outcastes who suffered from leprosy found in Jesus a friend who reached out to touch, heal and make them clean. He healed the woman with the issue of blood, the man with a withered hand, opened the eyes of the blind and even raised the dead. Jesus healed for free. He provided food to the hungry and invited people to come and stay with Him. The religious leaders could not understand Jesus.
The power of Jesus’ work was His unbroken communion with His Heavenly Father. In these times of anxiety and despair, panic and fear, anger and rage, sadness and hopelessness, we take comfort in praying to Jesus who understands because as a human He experienced all and continues to live for ever to give us hope and joy, whatever be the circumstances.
When Jesus saw a person in need his heart was “moved with compassion.” Jesus’ compassion is our model for service. At this time of global crisis are we also moved with compassion to pray and provide physical help where possible? Are we channels of God’s love?