＊＊＊ 1st Reading ＊＊＊     

Colossians 1:1-8

 Paul, apostle of Christ Jesus

By the will of God and Timothy our brother,  to the saints in Colossae, our faith­ful brothers and sisters in Christ: Receive grace and peace from God our Father, and Christ Jesus our Lord. Thanks be to God, the Father of Christ Jesus, our Lord!

We constantly pray for you,  for we have known of your faith in Christ Jesus and of your love for all the saints. Indeed you await in hope the inheritance reserved for you in heaven,  of which you have heard through the word of truth.

This Gospel,   already present among you, is bearing fruit and growing through­out the world, as it did among you from the day you accepted it and understood the gift of God in all its truth.

 He who taught you, Epa­phras, our dear com­panion in the service of Christ, faithful minister of Christ on our behalf,   has reminded me of the love you have for me in the spirit.

 

Ps 52:10, 11

I trust in the mercy of God for ever.

 

＊＊＊＊ Gospel ＊＊＊＊      

Luke 4:38-44

 Leaving the synagogue, Jesus went to the house of Simon. His mother-in-law was suffering from high fever and they asked him to do something for her.   Bending over her, he rebuked the fever, and it left her. Immediately she got up and waited on them.

At sunset, people suffering from many kinds of sickness were brought to Jesus. Laying his hands on each one, he healed them.   Demons were driven out, howling as they departed from their victims, “You are the Son of God!” He rebuked them and would not allow them to speak, for they knew he was the Messiah.

 Jesus left at daybreak and looked for a solitary place. People went out in search of him and, finding him, they tried to dissuade him from leaving.   But he said, “I have to go to other towns to announce the good news of the kingdom of God. That is what I was sent to do.”   And  Jesus continued to preach in the synagogues of the Galilee.

 

Gospel Reflection：

 The Mother-in-law of Simon cannot properly host the Lord. She is down with a fever and cannot  get up to serve. It must have been one of those days when everything goes wrong. We can imagine the embarrassment of the house of Simon because their hospitality is wanting.

More so because the one coming is the rising star of Israel. But Jesus instead of acting the privileged guest gets to work immediately upon seeing the plight of the old woman. He rebuked the fever that oppressed her. Immediately she got up to serve and take the role of a proper host.

We can only imagine the love that goes with her serving the Lord and his companions. It comes from a grateful heart. And the best way to show our gratitude for all that God has done for us is by serving others.

Imagine what a chain of loving service that would be if only all of us who have encountered God's goodness respond like the Mother-in-law of Simon.