Gospel: Luke 4:38-44
At sunset,
all who had 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 proclaim 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.
In
today’s Gospel, Simon humbly asked Jesus to heal his mother-in-law, who was
sick with a fever. Immediately, Jesus went to her, took her by the hand, and
healed her. What if Simon had not brought her need before Jesus?
We
can only wonder what might have happened. But Simon did not remain silent. He
turned to Jesus in faith and entrusted to Him someone he loved. His prayerful
and humble intercession became a doorway through which God’s healing grace
entered his mother-in-law’s life.
Simon’s
act of interceding for his mother-in-law is a beautiful reminder for all of us.
We, too, are called to bring the needs of others to Jesus. There are people
around us who may be carrying pain that we cannot see, fighting battles they do
not talk about, or quietly searching for hope, healing, and direction. Some may
be physically sick; others may be wounded in their hearts, struggling in their
relationships, burdened by sin, or slowly drifting away from God.
Let
us never underestimate the power of prayerful intercession. When we pray for
others, we place them lovingly in the hands of Jesus. We may not always know
what they are going through, and we may not immediately see the fruits of our
prayers, but our loving God hears every sincere prayer offered with faith and
humility. Let us especially remember the sick, the discouraged, those who are
struggling, and those who have not yet come to know and understand the love of
Jesus.
Our
prayerful intercession can become an instrument through which God touches,
heals, enlightens, and transforms lives. Saint Monica, the mother of Saint
Augustine, gives us a powerful example of such persevering prayer. She
faithfully prayed for the conversion of her husband and, for seventeen long
years, continued praying for her son Augustine, who was living a sinful life.
She
did not give up even when the answer to her prayers seemed delayed. Her tears,
patience, faith, and perseverance became a beautiful testimony of a mother who
placed her loved ones into the hands of God.
Eventually,
her prayers were answered. Augustine experienced a profound conversion and
became a great servant of God and one of the Church’s most influential saints.
Saint Monica reminds us that God may not answer our prayers according to our
timetable, but this does not mean that He is not listening. Sometimes, while we
are waiting for God to change someone else, He is also deepening and
transforming our own faith, patience, and trust in Him.
Perhaps
there is someone in our life whom we have almost stopped praying for. Perhaps
we have a loved one who needs healing, a friend who needs enlightenment, or
someone who has wandered far from God. Let us not give up on them. Let us
continue bringing them to Jesus in prayer. A simple prayer offered with love
may seem small in our eyes, but in the hands of God, it can become an
instrument of grace.
Let
us remember that we are not called to save or change people by our own
strength. Our calling is to love them, pray for them, and bring their needs
before Jesus. Then, with humble and persevering hearts, we leave them in His
loving hands and trust that He knows what is best.
Who
is that person whom Jesus is inviting us to bring before Him today—and will we
have the faith, love, and perseverance to keep praying for that person until
God’s healing and grace have touched their life?—Marino J. Dasmarinas
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