Jesus was all about service. When a need presented itself, He responded without thought of how tired He might have been. This weekend’s passage from the Holy Gospel gives us a glimpse of what an “ordinary day” was in the life of Jesus. Once His fame and “healing reputation” spread throughout the land, He was sought out by countless people who had an ailment that they wanted healed. You have had those days, haven’t you? I’m talking about those days when everyone seemed to be “at you.” Everyone has a problem and they want YOU to solve it…NOW! I certainly have, especially as a school principal. After a while, I would tend to lose patience. How about you? It doesn’t appear to us that Jesus ever lost patience. He was always conscious of the hurt in the other person and attended to their need. What a lesson to us! Bringing healing and wholeness is Jesus’ ministry even today. We certainly all need healing of our minds, our memories and our broken relationships. Let us ask Him for the ordinary healing we need in our own lives. And, when we are healed, let us not forget to thank Jesus for his goodness, mercy, and compassion. We can best thank Him by turning to serve and heal others. Our own healing process is completed only when we are ready to help others in their needs and to focus on things outside ourselves. We can be instruments for Jesus’ healing by visiting the sick and praying for their healing. Jesus was a man for others, sharing what he had with others. In His life there was time for prayer, time for healing and time for reconciliation. Let us take up this challenge by sharing love, mercy, compassion and forgiveness with others. Instead of considering life as dull and boring…and instead of living like the world revolves around us, let us live our lives as Jesus did, full of dynamism and zeal for the glory of God. There is an old and funny little anecdote that goes something like this. An elderly man who was quite ill said to his wife, "You know, Sarah, you’ve always been with me – through the good and the bad. Like the time I lost my job – you were right there by my side. And when the war came and I enlisted – you became a nurse so that you could be with me. Then I was wounded and you were there, Sarah, right by my side. Then the Depression hit and we had nothing – but you were there with me. And now here I am, sick as a dog, and, as always, you’re right beside me. You know something, Sarah -- you’re bad luck!" There is a part of us that is tempted to look for somebody to blame for all the things that go wrong in our lives. More often than not, we blame the very people we once looked up to for an answer. Today’s first reading from the book of Job is a futile attempt to answer the perennial question, “Why do bad things happen to good people?” The gospel shows us how Jesus kept himself busy alleviating the pain and suffering around Galilee by his preaching and healing ministry rather than by pondering on universal solutions for the problem of worldwide evil. GOSPEL QUESTION OF THE WEEK: Would people describe you as a “healer type?”