40 After sunset, all those who had people sick with various diseases brought them to Yeshua, and he put his hands on each one of them and healed them; 41 also demons came out of many, crying, “You are the Son of God!” But, rebuking them, he did not permit them to say that they knew he was the Messiah.
42 When day had come, he left and went away to a lonely spot. The people looked for him, came to him and would have kept him from leaving them. 43 But he said to them, “I must announce the Good News of the Kingdom of God to the other towns too — this is why I was sent.” 44 He also spent time preaching in the synagogues of Y’hudah.
22nd Week in Ordinary TimeAfter Jesus left the synagogue, he entered the house of Simon. (Luke 4:38)
The way Luke tells the story in today’s Gospel reading, it’s as if Jesus has stepped out of the synagogue door and immediately crossed the threshold of Simon’s house. Refreshed as he was from worshipping his Father, he was ready to dive back into his mission of revealing the kingdom of God.
Now, we don’t know Jesus’ itinerary for that evening. Maybe he planned to share a meal with Simon’s family, or maybe he was going to spend extra time with the Twelve. But what we do know is that upon entering the house, Jesus learned that Simon’s mother-in-law was bedridden with a high fever. An opportunity to demonstrate the love and power of God presented itself, and Jesus capitalized on it!
What about us? When we attend Mass, we encounter the person of Jesus. Of course, he’s in the Eucharist. But he’s also present in the Scriptures being proclaimed. He’s present in the ministry of the priest. And he is in the midst of the believers gathered to worship him. As we lift our hearts to Christ, he comes to refresh us with his grace. Today’s Psalm even speaks about how we grow “like a green olive tree” when we’re in the house of the Lord (Psalm 52:10). Yet how often do we leave Mass rather anticlimactically, switching mental gears, and getting on with the rest of the day?
What if the next time you left Mass, you took advantage of this grace-filled state? Imagine yourself stepping out of your parish door and across the threshold to a new opportunity. Just as Jesus encountered Simon’s mother-in-law, you, too, could expect to encounter a new opening to demonstrate God’s love. It doesn’t matter all that much where you’re heading after Mass. If you are alert and open to the nudging of the Holy Spirit, you’ll discover opportunities popping up all over the place.
There’s a church in Florida that urges its members to do just that. Located on a cramped downtown street, the church offers a parking garage for its members. As the parishioners begin driving out of the garage, they pass under a large sign that reads, “You are now entering the mission field.”
“Lord, for the sake of the world, fill me anew with your grace.” Amen!
Colossians 1:1 From: Sha’ul, by God’s will an emissary of the Messiah Yeshua, and brother Timothy
2 To: God’s people in Colosse, faithful brothers in the Messiah:
Grace to you and shalom from God our Father.
3 Whenever we pray, we always give thanks for you to God, the Father of our Lord Yeshua the Messiah. 4 For we have heard of your trust in the Messiah Yeshua and of the love you have for all God’s people. 5 Both spring from the confident hope that you will receive what is stored up for you in heaven. You heard of this earlier in the message about the truth. This Good News 6 has made its presence felt among you, just as it is also being fruitful and multiplying[Colossians 1:6 Genesis 1:28] throughout the world in the same way as it has among you since the day you heard and understood the grace of God as it really is. 7 You learned it from Epaphras, our dear fellow-slave and a faithful worker for the Messiah on your behalf; 8 and he has told us about the love which the Spirit has given you.
Psalm 52:10 (8) But I am like a leafy olive tree
in the house of God;
I put my trust in the grace of God
forever and ever.
11 (9) I will praise you forever for what you have done,
and I will put my hope in your name;
for this is what is good
in the presence of your faithful.
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