Ad Jesum per Mariam

Pray So That You May Do the Will of God! What This Means for Us Spiritually!

Pray So That You May Do the Will of God! What This Means for Us Spiritually! We are known not only by what we say . . . but what we do. In today’s Gospel, Jesus presents us with several things. Jesus is coming from the synagogue. He goes to Simon Peter’s house where He lays his healing hands on Peter’s mother-in-law. Later, many of the sick come to Jesus, and He heals them all. We are told in scripture that when we go to Jesus in total trust . . . in faith . . . Jesus grants healing. The problem Christians have is we often command what we want from Jesus. Jesus gives us the healing that we need! We need to accept the healing that He gives. That might or might not align with the healing that we want. Again, we need to accept the healing that He gives. Hear more in the Homily. Jesus Prays to Do the Will of God Jesus also gives us another lesson. Scripture tells us Jesus often withdraws to pray so that He may do the will of God. In prayer we align ourselves to the will of God. Prayer allows us to discern the will of God. It allows us to find the will of God. Prayer helps us find peace in the will of God. We pray for healing from God. We are asked also to be healers for others. How do we do that? Listen to this Meditation Media. Listen to: Pray So That You May Do the Will of God! What This Means for Us Spiritually! ----------------------------- Image: Madonna at Prayer: Italian Painter: Giovanni Battista Salvi da Sassoferrato : 1609-1685 The painting now resides in Florence, Italy. ----------------------------- Gospel Reading: Luke: 4: 38-44 First Reading: 1 COR: 3: 1-9

Broadcast on:: 21 Sep 2024
Audio Format:: other

The Lord be with you, a reading from the Holy Gospel, according to Luke. After Jesus left the synagogue, he entered the house of Simon. Simon's mother-in-law was afflicted with a severe fever, and they interceded with him about her. He stood over her, rebuked the fever, and it left her. She got up immediately and waited on them. At sunset, all who had the people sick with various diseases brought them to him. He laid his hands on each of them and cured them. And demons also came out from many shouting, "You are the Son of God." But he rebuked them and did not allow them to speak, because they knew that he was the Christ. At daybreak, Jesus left and went to a deserted place. The crowds went looking for him, and when they came to him, they tried to prevent him from leaving them. But he said to them, "To the other towns also, I must program the good news of the Kingdom of God, because for this purpose I have been sent." And he was preaching in the synagogues of Judea. The Gospel of the Lord. We are known not only by what we say, but most importantly by what we do. And today, we are presented with three things that Jesus is doing in the Gospel of Luke. We hear that Jesus is coming from the synagogues. This is just a continuation of yesterday's Gospel in which he had cured someone who was possessed by a demon. And immediately after coming from there, he goes to Simon Peter's house. We are not told why Jesus is going there, probably just to take a little rest. And while he is there, finds out that the mother in law of Peter is down with fever. And Jesus heals her. And also we hear that there were many that came. Jesus healed them all. First aspect, Jesus heals. Jesus heals. When we come to him with faith, with the total trust, Jesus grants healing. The problem at times is we command the healing we want that we should get from Jesus. And when we don't get that, because Jesus gives the healing that we need, not that we want, but that we need. And every time we come to him in faith, total trust, he heals. And what is required of us is to align the healing with what Jesus gives. To accept the healing that he gives, not to demand the healing that we want. In my previous ministry, I used to visit the hospital to give Holy Communion, and at the same time also to hear confessions. And there was this day I was caught by one woman who had been in the hospital for two years. And when she heard that there was a priest around, she wanted to have a word with the priest. So when I approached her, said, "Father, I've been sick for two, four years, and I've been in this hospital. Physically, I'm not well, as you can see. But I've felt the hand of God in this hospital, touching me. I feel that I'm closer to God than the way I was when I was physically well." Said, "Oh," said Father, "Yes." And the healing that I have received is more than the physical healing that I've been asking God to grant me. Jesus heals. And every time we come to him with the total trust, with the total faith, there is a healing that he grants us. And our duty as Christians as followers is to receive this healing that he gives us. And we hear that as Jesus continues, he withdrew and went to a deserted place. This withdrawal is to pray and to communicate with God. The Son of God prayed in order to do the will of God. And the climax that we get as we look at the prayers that Jesus made is this prayer that he made in the Garden of Gethseman, where he says, "Out of love that this cup should pass me, but not my will, let your will be done." In prayer, we align ourselves to the will of God. As we pray often, that helps us to accept the will of God and become part of us. And that is a true prayer. So the Son of God prayed in order to do the will of the Father. For us, in order to do the will of the Father, we must as well pray. Most of the times when we pray, we demand what we want, by all means, this be granted to me. But a true prayer is the one that accepts the will of God. It is as aligning with the will of God, in order to find it pleasant, in order to enjoy it, in order to find peace in this. Jesus heals, Jesus prays, giving us an example. And the third aspect we hear that Jesus taught the people I have to go and preach again to the other towns of the Kingdom of God. And these three things are asking of us, you and me. Our lives, as we have gotten healed by Jesus, we are also asked to be healers, to others. And then maybe you may say, "How can I be that?" Sometimes what people need is just to listen to them. Just to listen to them. And sometimes what people need is just a smile, and they feel good. And sometimes what people need is just a kind word of encouragement in their suffering, and they find peace in that. And as we have been healed by Jesus, we are also asked to be healers. We are also asked to pray for others, and we are also asked to preach the gospel. And examples is the woman that has been healed in the gospel. We hear that when she was healed, immediately, that's the way that is used, immediately, there is no delay. She moves into action. Moves into action in saving the people around. All that she has received has helped her to save others. All what we have received from God is meant to help us to save others better. And we have received a lot from God. And all that is supposed to help us to save others better. And the way it immediately entails agency, nor delay. And this mother in law of Peter, we hear there is no name. She is not named. What does that mean? When we save, when we do something good, it is not for ourselves. It is for the greater glory of God, the one who has given us. That's why St. Paul, in the first reading, as people are saying, we are for Apollo. And as we are for Paul, Paul says, no, we are just ministers. We are giving what we have received. It's not as it is God. As we save others, we don't draw others to ourselves. Attention to ourselves. It is for the greater glory of God, the Father. Because all that we give, we have received. And it is to him that has given us that we have to point and say, we are only mayor ministers. We are only the makers. It is him who has sent us. May God help us to get grounded in faith. May God help us that our lives should be healing, a blessing to others. Our prayers should depend. And more importantly, preach the kingdom of God through our deeds, as well as our ways. Amen. [BLANK_AUDIO]