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Jesus entered the house of Peter, and saw his mother-in-law lying
in bed with a fever. He touched her hand, the fever left her, and
she rose and waited on him. Matthew 8:14–15
How do we properly respond to the action of God in our lives? In
the passage above, we are given the witness of Peter’s
mother-in-law to answer that question. It should be noted that
Jesus was on a continual mission of healing. In fact, before
arriving at the house of Peter, Jesus had just healed a centurion’s
servant. When the centurion came to Jesus stating that he was not
even worthy to have Him enter his house, Jesus saw the centurion’s
faith and healed his servant from a distance. After arriving at the
house of Peter, we are told that many people brought to Jesus those
who were possessed by demons, and Jesus healed them all. But
between the healing of the servant and the healings of the many,
another healing occurred. The response to this healing sets for us
a wonderful example.
Peter’s mother-in-law was ill and in bed with a fever. It’s unclear
just how ill she was, but the fact remains that she was ill to the
point of being in bed. Notice, first, that Jesus was not even asked
to heal her. Rather, He “saw” her ill and in bed, approached her of
His own choosing, “touched her hand,” and she was healed.
Within the same sentence describing Jesus’ healing, we are told
that “she rose and waited on him.” First of all, “she rose.” This
should be seen as a symbolic depiction of what we must do when we
are touched by grace. The grace of God, when it is given to us,
must have the effect of causing us to rise. We rise from sin when
we confess that sin and receive forgiveness, especially in the
Sacrament of Reconciliation. We rise up every time God enters our
lives to give us direction, clarity and hope. To rise is to be
strengthened to dispel the burden that sin and confusion causes. We
rise in strength, renewed and determined to go about the will of
God.
After this woman rose, she “waited” on Jesus. This is the reason we
rise up when touched by grace. We are not given God’s grace so that
we can go back to our sin, or pursue our own ventures, or do our
own will. We rise so that we can serve our Lord and His holy will.
In a sense, Jesus’ actions in our lives impose upon us a holy
burden. But it is a burden that is light. It’s an obligation to
serve and give ourselves to our Lord to attend to Him, His holy
will, and to all that He calls us to do.
Reflect, today, upon this threefold action of the Gospel. See Jesus
approaching you and touching you in your prayer. Know that He comes
to you not only because you pray to Him but out of His own
initiative when He sees you will respond. Then consider your
response. Rise from that which keeps you down. Let God’s grace free
you from the burdens you carry. And as He grants you this grace,
determine to wait on Him and to serve His will alone. The service
of our Lord is what we are made for, and doing so will enable us to
continually receive His grace through His touch of love.
My merciful Jesus, You continually come to me, approaching me to
reach out and touch me with Your grace. You desire my healing and
strengthening every day. Help me to be open to all that You wish to
bestow and please free me from all that keeps me down. May I rise
up in service of You and Your holy will so that Your Kingdom may be
built up more fully through me. Jesus, I trust in You.
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