We meet two individuals in today's gospel: a synagogue ruler who has just lost a child, and a destitute woman at the end of her rope. At one level, there two persons are very similar, because they both have great faith in the power of Jesus to heal. At a more worldly level, however, they couldn't be more different. The synagogue leader was a powerful and respected member of his community; the widow, on the other hand, dwelt at the margins of society.
If we were in Jesus' shoes, we might be tempted to exploit the one and disregard the other. That's because so often we seek our own advantage in any given situation; our first question is: "What's in it for me?"
But not Jesus. Our Lord is motivated only by purest love, and his concern is only for our good, our salvation. With Jesus everyone has a level playing field. He's never take advantage of us, or disregard us. Today's psalm summed it up well: "The Lord is good to all, and compassionate to all his creatures."
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