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The inner word

04 Feb 2018 - Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle B

When Jesus healed Peter’s mother-in-law, she got up and waited on the group. The spiritual dynamic here is that when we are healed, saved, brought from disease to wellness, our desire to serve is naturally activated. Work that otherwise might seem a chore or drudgery, the work of “hirelings,” becomes a creative outlet for our freed-up energies. When do I feel enthusiasm for my life and my mission? What projects and activities do I have zeal for? In what ways have I been healed recently? How has Jesus “grasped my hand and helped me up”?

Healing hirelings

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Homily stories

04 Feb 2018 - Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle B

Every time I hear the story of Simon Peter’s mother-in-law, I stand amazed: The woman is lying in bed, sick with fever when Jesus takes her hand, pulls her up, and instantly cures her. She then waits on him and his pals. On the one hand, I want to say to Peter, “Gee whiz, could you please give your mother-in-law a break and make your own darn sandwiches!” On the other hand, I want to say to Jesus, “Hey, Lord, how about sending some of that super energy my way? I could really use it at around 6 p.m. after a grueling day at work, when I am greeted by my family’s hunger pangs, daily accumulation of dirt and clutter, and inability to do much more than act irrationally.” Like Job I often lament that my days are those of a hireling. And I know I am not alone. As far as I can tell, anyone working is overextended, and fatigue can lead to despair. The best prevention is a moment of thanks each day for our many blessings—including our messy relatives and our challenging jobs. Gratitude, no doubt, motivated Peter’s mother-in-law. Jesus made her well, and she responded with hospitality. I do hope, however, that she found time to rest after Jesus finished curing the whole town on her doorstep. (OK, I just have to ask: Guys, couldn’t you have found a better place to do the rest of your healing?)

Authors Patrice J. Tuohy

Healing hirelings gratitude

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Homily stories

04 Feb 2018 - Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle B

As a young girl she always tried to avoid getting drafted to work in her mother’s garden. She disliked the planting, the pruning, the watering. She disliked the weeding the most. And so she would rush off to play with her friends. When she became a young adult, she began to see the beauty of the garden. Not that she had any desire to work in it, but she could begin to appreciate what beauty it brought to all who passed by. And then her mother got sick. It was then that she came to recognize within her, the strength, confidence, and character that her mother had so gently planted, watered, pruned, and weeded. Having been so well served, the young woman’s own desire to serve blossomed. Thus, tending the garden was no longer work for “hirelings,” as Sunday’s reading from Job has it. And so she gladly and enthusiastically planted, and pruned, and watered, and even weeded the garden outside her mother’s bedroom window, in hopes that it would strengthen her mother, and cheer her. But most of all, as a blessed act of sheer gratitude.

Authors Tom McGrath

gardening hirelings gratitude

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