Power of the Powerless

Gospel: Matthew 8: 5-17

Today's Gospel portion shows us the power of being powerless.  In the first encounter, a man who has power - a Roman centurion - finds himself in a powerless situation.  His beloved servant is dying and the centurion is helpless in the face of this reality.  He entrusts himself entirely to Jesus, accepting of the outcome of healing or not.  Because of this great faith and admission of powerlessness, his servant is healed.  

In the second instance we encounter Peter's mother-in-law who is ill.  She does not even ask Jesus to be healed, nor does anyone else.  This woman who has no power at all in society, finds herself healed by Jesus at his own initiative.  Her response to the healing is simply to get up and serve others.  She does not engage in some self-promotion tour or "witnessing".  Her witness is the authentic response of faith: to get up and care for others.  

In these two people we find the authentic faith of the Christian.  Before God and the many situations of life we are powerless.  We entrust ourselves entirely to providence, accepting whatever is given to us.  If healing is given to us - even without our asking for it - our response is to simply serve other people in quiet humility and love.  And like Jesus we serve the needs of all - a foreigner like the centurion and those close to us like a friend's in-law. and all who we find in need.