Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time ‘b’

Mk 1:29-39

You can’t give away something that you don’t have yourself. You can’t share something that you don’t have. For example, if you have no money then you can’t give any to the poor; if you have no place to live, then you can’t invite anyone to stay with you. But in a similar way, if you don’t have peace in your heart then you can’t share peace with others; if you don’t have love, you can’t love others. We can only share what we have. The story from the gospel reading for this Sunday is a perfect example of that -- “Jesus entered the house of Simon and Andrew with James and John. Simon's mother-in-law lay sick with a fever. They immediately told him about her. He approached, grasped her hand, and helped her up. Then the fever left her and she waited on them.” Simon’s mother-in-law must have felt very embarrassed having such an honored guest visiting her house, yet she couldn’t welcome him. She could not show her great hospitality for Jesus, because she was sick. So, she needed to receive the healing touch of Jesus to be able to serve Him. We all need that healing touch of Jesus in order to serve Him and others. We need Him to fill our hearts with love, peace, and humility so we can be able to share this with others.