22nd Week in Ordinary Time (B) : Wednesday 4th September 2024

It may sound odd that Jesus’ ministering starts at sunset rather than at sunrise. Actually, the Sabbath had just ended and all works, suspended because of the Sabbath, could now re-commence. Thus, upon completing prayers at the synagogue, Jesus attended immediately to Simon’s mother-in-law.

We can draw three lessons from Luke’s passage today. The first is the immediacy of service when one is able to do so. The woman did not linger in bed after the fever left her, but waited on Jesus and His companions immediately. It was her sense of duty even though it was going to be a long night. As narrated by Luke, everyone brought their afflicted friends to Jesus who exorcised many demons howling the truth about Him as the Son of God.

Presumably, Jesus worked through the entire night. At dawn, He sought His own well-deserved rest, not in the comfort of the bed but in the arms of God in prayer. This is the second lesson: the importance of praying when we are preoccupied with work. Indeed, the busier we are, the more we need to pray!

Finally, when popularity caught up with Jesus, He was not enticed to stay on but chose to go to other towns because the wide-spread proclamation of the Good News was the mission and not worldly popularity. In summary, three lessons for busy workers: immediacy of service, importance of prayer and guarding against self-popularity.

Dear Lord, empower us accordingly to exercise our rights to serve today.