William and Karen had a six years old son called James; he was their only child and was their pride and joy. They only found happiness when they were with their child and spent as much time as possible playing with the little lad. One day as a treat the all went to the seaside and James had a wonderful time playing on the beach, so by the time his parents arrived home James was ready for bed. Then, in the middle of the night they were awakened by screaming and crying coming from the child’s bedroom. Dashing into the room, they found their son sobbing with pain and fear. Quickly they phoned for an ambulance and James was taken to hospital, where he was examined by doctors who told his distraught parents that the child was suffering from acute appendicitis and they would have to operate immediately. For the remainder of the night his parents sat in a waiting room and prayed for their son and the skill of the surgeon performing this vital operation. Fortunately, the operation proved to be a complete success and the little lad was soon home playing with his toys.

There is a story of another little lad attending primary school assembly and the head teacher began by asking all the children a question. Could you tell me what I saw in a tree in the school grounds this morning? He said it was grey, with black eyes and a bushy tail, but what was it? A forest of hands shot up and pointing to a little lad on the front row, the head asked him what he thought it was, the lad piped up and said, “I know it’s supposed to be Jesus, but it looked very much like a squirrel to me.”

Jesus was sent by God to heal people of their hurts and to dispatch his disciples (all of us) to be his “delegated paramedics” and working with him, we would all be responsible for the relief of everything, from a mild headache to appendicitis, from unemployment to exploitation, from bewilderment to rejection. He still summons us to be moved with compassion for all those in need, in his words, “like sheep without a shepherd.” Jesus reveals his Father to be like a good parent, rushing to our aide when we are suffering and inviting all of us to help Him in his healing ways.