Lenten campaign 2012 - "Help to Heal"

The theme of this year’s Lenten campaign for Penang Diocese is “Help to Heal” which is indeed very appropriate today. Healing is the bringing an end to a painful situation. It could be physical, emotional or social but when it heals it brings it to an end or at least improves the pain experienced.

Everyone, from the highest to the lowest level, would have been in pain at one time or another and all of them would have required some form of healing. Even the healer needs healing at times and God has made it possible for everyone access to some healer.

Many of us when inflicted with some form of tragedy, we turn to God in prayer, fasting and penance. We promise God all sorts of things if He heals us. We even resort to supernatural help to bring an end to our agony. This is a natural tendency for us as humans. We place all our trust on God hoping He will come down in person to intervene in our problem. When He fails to show up, which He often He does, we lose faith and at times question His very existence. Yes, even the staunchest believers have questioned the existence of God at a certain time in their lives especially when put to the severest trial.

We fail to realise that God will not come in person to heal each and every individual. He will not heal us in the way we want but in the way he thinks is best for us. He always comes without fail to heal but he comes in disguise, which we do not recognise. Instead he sends a healer in the form of us to carry out the healing on his behalf. He has bestowed upon each and every one of us with special talents and gifts to heal others are in need of healing.

God is merciful and loving; in His mercy He heals us. We too need compassion to heal others and it in compassion we derive the strength to reach out and give. Helping others was something Jesus did on a daily basis. He was constantly approached by people, but He always found time to stop what He was doing to help that in need. We may be all busy with our lives but like Jesus do we find time to stop what we are doing to help those in need?

There are many ways to help the poor and the needy. It does not matter what you give or how much you give but the heart to do so that counts. Even the smallest effort counts and every cent mean a lot to the poor and needy. As Mother Teresa said, “We cannot do great things but we can do little things with great love”.

Let’s ask ourselves what we can do or give someone this Lent and make it a point to give whatever we can with a sincere heart. Let this Lent be the beginning of our life-long commitment to giving something we have to those in need. When each one of us we give a little help to someone who is in need, we make the world a better place for everyone.