Hebrews 2:14-18 / Mark 1:29-39
Most of us are ordinary and simple people in the general sense of the word.
Of course every now and then we might envy the talents and gifts of the geniuses, the singers, the musicians, the entrepreneurs and the rich and famous.
But what if we were suddenly endowed with a gift or talent that will catch everybody's attention and we start appearing in the headlines and get the limelight.
How are we going to handle such a situation?
In the gospel we heard of how the crowds came to Jesus with all their various needs of healing and deliverance.
In a short span of time, Jesus went from obscurity to popularity, from oblivious to famous.
Yet popularity and fame did not get into the head or heart of Jesus. He was very focused on doing His Father's will.
So instead of staying on in a place where He could always be the center of attention, He went on to other places to preach the Good News.
As the 1st reading puts it: because He has Himself been through temptation, He is able to help others who were tempted.
Very often we are tempted with the small things before we are tempted over bigger issues.
People don't trip over mountains and hills, but they stumble over pebbles and stones.
May we keep our eyes focused on Jesus always and may our hearts always desire to love God and do His will.