The Catholic Calendar for Wednesday, August 31, 2005
Wednesday of the Twenty-second Week in Ordinary Time

Scripture from today's Liturgy of the Word:
Colossians 1:1-8
Psalm 52:10-11
Luke 4:38-44

A reflection on today's Sacred Scripture:

Scripture is so direct in letting us know how we are to live our day to day lives as Christians. In the first reading, today, we see an example of one person giving thanks to God for them and praying for them. Many people do this for others when they are ill or under some significant stress, but we see how we might do this at any time.

The gospel reading is the beautiful story of Jesus curing Simon's mother-in-law of a fever. It is a very human, touching story. One can almost feel the concern of the family in the days before modern medicine. They humbly appealed to Christ for His assistance,which gave evidence of their faith and hope.

It is particularly significant to note that even the Great Healer, Christ, prayed both before and after He cured Simon's mother-in-law. When He was first approached about her illness, He was coming out of the synagogue. Once the healing had taken place and He spent some time with the family, He again withdrew to a deserted place. We can never underestimate the significance of prayer, otherwise we are giving glory only to ourselves, a gesture that will fade with the first passing breeze.

"Thy will be done through me, O Lord"

Joan of Jesus, OCDS
(jmurphy at utica dot edu)

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