Wednesday January 11, 2023

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“The best gift God wants from us is our service to others.”

Good News Reflection for:

Wednesday of the 1st Week in Ordinary Time
January 11, 2023

Today’s Prayer:

I praise You and thank You, Lord, because You want to enter into our lives healing and delivering us from all our woes. Amen.

Subscribe to Today’s Saint Quote & Prayer:
gnm.org/SaintQuotes/

Today’s Readings:

Hebrews 2:14-18
Ps 105:1-4, 6-9
Mark 1:29-39
bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/011123.cfm
USCCB Podcast of the Readings:
bible.usccb.org/podcasts/audio/2023-01-11-usccb-daily-mass-readings

Responding to God’s love

How are you responding to the loving touch and compassionate friendship of Jesus? Consider his track record: In the past, he has healed you, he has helped you through difficult times, and he has empowered you to resist temptations. Your faith was tested and you grew stronger. What are you doing with the fruits of these divine interventions? Are they helping anyone else?

Today’s first reading says that because Jesus was tested by what he suffered, he’s able to help us when we’re tested. His sufferings perfected him into a compassionate (translate that as: “with passion”) friend who understands our pain and wants to do something about it.

When his ministry exhausted his energies and someone came seeking more from him, his endless love grew in endurance. When his self-focused desire to protect himself from crucifixion wrestled against the us-focused will of the Father, his concern for us strengthened.

Now, the same thing happens to us. For example, our love grows in endurance when we exhaust our ability to love (think of someone who is very hard to love) and then ask Jesus to multiply the love in us. But then what? What are we doing with the fruits of our spiritual growth? Do we let Jesus expand what we’ve received into more ministry?

Today’s Gospel story shows us the healing of Peter’s mother-in-law. Notice how quickly she responds to this gift. She immediately uses it to serve others. What are you good at? This is how you’re gifted and called to serve others in response to God’s love for you.

Notice also how Jesus gains strength and endurance from the Father’s love. Jesus exhausted a lot of energy ministering to the crowds in Capernaum. This town was known as the Via Maris (the Way of the Sea), because it was a significant coastal trading center. There was no end to the stream of folks who crowded in to see what he could do for them, and it wore him out.

Jesus needed time alone with the Father to refocus and recuperate, but it wasn’t long before his friends interrupted the break. What was his response? The companionship and guidance he received from the Father in that brief retreat gave him energy to spread his ministry throughout all of Galilee.

What has God’s companionship and guidance done for you? As Jesus raises us up to a holier life, we respond to his love by moving beyond our comfort zones to share our gifts with more and more people. Every good gift from God deserves a gift in return. The best gift he wants from us is our service to others.

For more on this, go to our Faith Booster: “You are important to the Body of Christ!” @ https://wordbytes.org/faith-booster-minis/important-body-christ/

© 2023 by Terry A. Modica

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