Today, a raft of Scripture passages to illustrate the personal methods of the Lord who reached out to those of his day and who continues to accompany those in need today:
353. Jesus, the Good Shepherd, wishes to communicate his life to us and place himself at the service of life. We see him when he approaches the blind man on the road (cf. Mk 10:46-52), when he ennobles the Samaritan woman (cf. Jn 4:7-26), when he heals the sick (cf. Mt 11:2-6), when he feeds the people who are hungry (cf. Mk 6:30-44), when he frees the possessed (cf. Mk 5:1-20). Jesus includes all in his Kingdom of life: he eats and drinks with sinners (cf. Mk 2:16), unconcerned that he is regarded as a glutton and drunkard (cf. Mt 11:19); he touches lepers (cf. Lk 5:13), and he receives Nicodemus by night to invite him to be born again (cf. Jn 3:1-15). He likewise invites his disciples to reconciliation (cf. Mt 5:24), love for enemies (cf. Mt 5:44), and to opt for the poorest (cf. Lk 14:15-24).
What’s the point? We check our own practices and see how we align with the actions of Jesus. We also see how the Lord intervenes when we have experienced illness, dark influences, sin, conflict, etc..
Remember to reference an English translation of the 2007 document from the Aparecida Conference here.
