22nd Week in Ordinary Time
06th September 2023 (Wednesday) Readings and Reflection
Psalter: Week 2
Reading of the Day
First Reading: Colossians 1:1-8
Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother, To the saints and faithful brothers in Christ at Colossae: Grace to you and peace from God our Father. We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love that you have for all the saints, because of the hope laid up for you in heaven. Of this you have heard before in the word of the truth, the gospel, which has come to you, as indeed in the whole world it is bearing fruit and increasing—as it also does among you, since the day you heard it and understood the grace of God in truth, just as you learned it from Epaphras our beloved fellow servant. He is a faithful minister of Christ on your behalf and has made known to us your love in the Spirit.
Psalm 52:10, 11 (R. 10cd)
R/. I trust in the mercy of God, forever and ever.
Alleluia
V/. Alleluia R/. Alleluia
V/. The Lord has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor, to proclaim liberty to the captives.
R/. Alleluia
Gospel : Luke 4:38-44
At that time: Jesus arose and left the synagogue and entered Simon's house. Now Simon's mother-in-law was ill with a high fever, and they appealed to him on her behalf. And he stood over her and rebuked the fever, and it left her, and immediately she rose and began to serve them. Now when the sun was setting, all those who had any who were sick with various diseases brought them to him, and he laid his hands on every one of them and healed them. And demons also came out of many, crying, “You are the Son of God!” But he rebuked them and would not allow them to speak, because they knew that he was the Christ. And when it was day, he departed and went into a desolate place. And the people sought him and came to him, and would have kept him from leaving them, but he said to them, “I must preach the good news of the kingdom of God to the other towns as well; for I was sent for this purpose.” And he was preaching in the synagogues of Judea.
Daily Gospel Reflection
Highlight: Healing that restores life!
Guidlines: The world of today is tormented by sickness and demon-possession. It needs healing and this comes only from the Lord{alertSuccess}
1. Jesus heals the sick and possessed. He heals Peter's mother-in-law with his personal touch. He stands over her and the fever leaves her. He stands near the sick, and the possessed. He rebukes and commands the sicknesses and demons and they are driven. He subdues them and restores health.
2. This is the real ministry of Jesus - a ministry of liberation and restoration. He heals the people from the ill and evil and makes them whole. This is a holistic ministry - in word and deed, in his preaching and healing. Further, this healing is also holistic healing, that is, both the external and internal. Fever can refer to external physical healing and demon-possession can refer to internal spiritual healing.
3. Today, this holistic ministry and holistic healing are needed. We need to live an integrated life of word and action. We need to spread God's kingdom both by our word power and action power. We need to speak powerfully about how God is loving, liberating, and healing.
4. But words, teaching, and preaching alone will not be enough. Our words must be accompanied and authenticated by healing actions. This would include all our social actions, charitable actions, and exorcist actions. We should bear in mind that all our ministry and healing must be holistic. It must be person-oriented and not merely a particular ministry or action-oriented.
5. This is the danger of our ministries. There is always the tendency to departmentalize as a ministry of the word, of social work, charity, exorcism, tongues, prophecy, et cetera. It is true that different gifts of the Spirit are given to different persons and ministries may be specified and diversified. But we should be cautious that specialization of ministry is narrowing down or absolutizing the particular ministry or domesticating the Spirit.
Practice: Whatever the kind of ministry we may be engaged in, We must always make sure that our life is integral and holistic and our ministry too must aim at the holistic healing and health of the person. Ministry is not our focus, but God as the subject and the person of the recipient as the object.{alertSuccess}