September 06, 2017

Gospel: Lk 4:38-44
Leaving the synagogue, Jesus went to the house of Simon. His mother-in-law was suffering from high fever, and they asked him to do something for her. Bending over her, he rebuked the fever, and it left her. Immediately, she got up and waited on them.
At sunset, people suffering from many kinds of sickness were brought to Jesus. Laying his hands on each one, he healed them. Demons were driven out, howling as they departed from their victims, “You are the Son of God!“ He rebuked them and would not allow them to speak, for they knew he was the Messiah.
Jesus left at daybreak and looked for a solitary place. People went out in search of him, and finding him, they tried to dissuade him from leaving. But he said, “I have to go to other towns, to announce the good news of the kingdom of God. That is what I was sent to do.“ And Jesus continued to preach in the synagogues of Galilee.

REFLECTION:
No sooner does Jesus rebuke the fever of Simon‘s mother-in-law than it leaves her. She immediately gets up and waits on them: Now that she is healed, she attends to the needs of Jesus and his disciples.
The many healings and blessings God grants us must make us more sensitive and compassionate to the needs of others. As Simon‘s mother-in-law did, we too shall make use of our restored energies and renewed life to care for God and His people. Every gift comes with a mandate, every healing has a mission—that we share its fruits with other people. If God‘s gifts do not make us more generous than before, we would be no different from the servant who received a talent but hid it from everyone and refused to invest it for God‘s purposes (Matt. 25:14-30).