He commented on how the Old Testament is filled with examples of people trusting in God in moments of tears (Ps 38), calling out to him for the healing of infirmity (Ps 6:3; Is 38), and returning to him in moments of trial with movements toward conversion (Ps 38:5, 12; 39:9; Is 53:11).
In the New Testament, Jesus “reveals the Father’s love, mercy, forgiveness, and his constant search for sinful, lost, and wounded men,” he added.
“It is no coincidence that Christ’s public activity is largely marked by his contact with the sick,” Pope Francis said.
“Miraculous healings are one of the main characteristics of his ministry (Mt 9:35; 4:23): He heals lepers and paralytics (Mk 1:40–42; 2:10–12); he heals Simon’s mother-in-law and the centurion’s servant (Mt 8:5–15); and he frees the possessed and cures all the sick who entrust themselves to him (Mk 6:56).”
Jesus’ numerous healings reveal his divine identity, his mission, and his love for the weak to the point of identifying with them when he says: ‘I was sick and you visited me,’” the pope explained.
“The culmination of this identification occurs in the Passion, so that the cross of Christ becomes the sign par excellence of God’s solidarity with us and, at the same time, the possibility for us to unite with him in the saving work (Col 1:24),” he added.