Daily Reflection Wednesday of the Twenty-second Week in Ordinary Time
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September 4, 2024For several days I was mulling over Luke’s reading about Jesus and Simon’s mother-in-law. Then I saw an interview on TV where musician Itzhak Perlman and actor Alan Alda were engaged in conversation. Perlman—legs paralyzed from polio since he was four and Alda—hands shaking from Parkinson’s since 2015—did not focus on what they could not do. Both were energized by their own God given gifts. Perlman: “I can’t walk very well, but I’m not on stage to do walking. I’m on stage to play the violin.” Alda: “Parkinson’s doesn’t make me sad. I now do podcasting.”
Simon’s mother-in-law was of the same ilk. As soon as she became well, she went on giving her usual hospitality. Whether we are in a bad mood, disturbed by the daily news of violence, generally not feeling well or in the aging process, still we can be open to a lifestyle of giving. In his first letter to the Corinthians, Paul assures us that our natural talents are blessed by God.
I myself firmly believe that each one of us is born with more natural gifts than we can develop in one lifetime. In reading Luke’s gospel today, we witness Jesus following the work that his Father planned. Notice also that in between his journeys Jesus spends some time alone in a deserted place. He needs to refresh his relationship with his Father, so that he can continue his mission. Yes, we need to do the same. Sustaining and deepening our experience of God in our daily prayer helps us to discover our undetected gifts: patience in listening, generosity with our time, discovering a latent talent. The love between God the Father and the Son, Jesus, is the Holy Spirit: the bearer of love. Just as Perlman and Alda do not focus on what they cannot do, let us focus on those gifts—perhaps yet hidden—that we can develop for our own growth, as well as for the welfare of other people.
One of the most important elements in teaching,
conducting and performing all three is listening.
