Jesus healed a Gerasene demoniac who then wanted to follow him. Instead, Jesus sent him back to his own family. The healing that comes from Jesus doesn't just cover over our sins, but empowers us to reunite with those we have hurt and bring them with us back to God. Is there someone with whom you need to reconcile?
As Jesus is presented in the Temple, the prophets Simeon and Anna see that his presence points to something beyond the moment—it point to eternity. Today we also celebrate consecrated religious persons whose lives point as well to the blessings of God in eternity.
Jesus said that although the the Good News was hidden from the wise and the learned, it was revealed to the childlike. "The learned" had too many expectations about how God would exactly fulfil this promise and so could not see that it was being fulfilled differently than their expectations. The childlike have no expectations and are thus free to see what is and trust it, even it they do not understand it fully. That is the childlike faith we should have.
A centurion asked Jesus for a cure for his servant, and Jesus used it as a sign to his disciples that his salvation was beyond simply saving Israel, but was for the saving of all the nations. Can we see beyond our own needs to the greater gift God is offering in Jesus?
