It was Jesus turn to visit the mother-in-law of Peter today. He brought healing, not simply by uttering a few words of wisdom and a few special prayers of a God. But by simply lifting her up from her fallen-ness. Jesus brought life back to her, because he was willing to life her up from the miseries of human life. He was able to bent down, sit down, and be at the level of a woman who was not feeling well not simply physically but socially, spiritually and emotionally.
Lifting someone up at times is not easy. For they pull us down. Stooping down is not easy, for it makes us uncomfortable. But the reality is many people need a boost up. They are waiting for someone to lift them up not finally many times, but spiritually and emotionally. Those that are feverishly burning the other and ourselves will leave us the moment we have to courage to lift someone else up to the level of grace. Nothing else matters.
Act on it: Stop, and listen when everything in you says oh, it is a waste of time that I am spending with this person today. Give a hand, with a touch on the shoulder and a gaze into their eyes, assure someone they are not alone this day. It takes simply two minutes to gaze into the depth of someone’s fears, anger, anxiety and apathy. They will be lifted out of their fever and fear, and you shall do what Jesus did.
Fr. Jos+
copyright: Fr. Jos Tharakan
