Service

Homily for Wednesday of the Twenty-second Week in Ordinary Time

The Gospel text of today’s liturgy speaks of two kinds of service. We witness Simon Peter’s mother-in-law, who, after being healed, immediately rises to serve Jesus and the other guests who have come to Simon Peter’s home in Capernaum.

At the same time, we also witness the service that Jesus renders to the citizens of the village who bring their sick to the door of Simon Peter’s home. The Gospel relates the fact that Jesus cured them of their diseases and expelled demons from many of them.

Though the miracles of healing that are performed by Jesus capture our attention, we must not lose sight of the service that Simon Peter’s mother-in-law renders. Jesus is an itinerant preacher and healer. He tells those who want him to stay in Capernaum that his mission must reach out to the people of other villages in Judea. Simon Peter’s mother-in-law offers hospitality in her son-in-law’s home. This is her mission which, though smaller in scope, is also important.

You and I have also led lives that were itinerant. We have served in a variety of places and in a variety of ministries. Because we have grown old in our vocation as Franciscan religious, the scope of our ministries and the variety of places in which we labor have grown smaller. However, like Simon Peter’s mother-in-law, we continue to serve the needs of others. Each of our daily interactions with those who come to St. Francis Woods for quiet as well as the members of our staff and our community are opportunities to continue our Gospel way of life. As St. Paul says to the citizens of Corinth, we are all God’s co-workers working to spread the Good News of the nearness of God’s Kingdom.