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12. Jesus'
philanthropic acts.
Jesus had also
received miraculous gifts from God to heal sick and infirm people
through his word, and also to perform other charitable and pleasing
deeds that no other man is able to perform, so that people would
recognise who he was and who had sent him.
A man from Capernaum came to meet him and asked him to go with him to
help his sick son. He had a terminally ill son at home. Jesus said to
him: ‘Go! Your son is alive.’ While the comforted father was on his way
home, his servants came to meet him with the news that his son had
recovered. He had got better that very hour when Jesus said to the
father, ‘Your son is alive.’
Capernaum is on the Sea of Galilee. One morning some fishermen were
cleaning their nets by the lake. They were the same Simon Peter and
Andrew his brother, who had met Jesus at the Jordan, and John and James,
the sons of Zebedee, and their boats were standing by the lake. But
there was no sign of any fish. Jesus got into one of them and told Simon
Peter, who was in charge of the boat, to take him a little way from the
land so that Jesus could talk more comfortably with the people who were
following him. When he had finished speaking, he told Simon to go
further out into the sea and let down the nets. Jesus was pleased that
Simon had been so willing to take him into the little ship. He wanted to
do him a favour. Simon said, ‘Master, we have worked all night and
caught nothing. But at your word I will cast the net.’ This
good-naturedness and trust pleased Jesus even more. When Simon wanted to
pull the net out of the water again, he was not strong enough, there
were so many fish in it. He called to his friends John and James to come
with their little boat and help him. There was hardly room for the fish
in both boats. When Peter saw this, he fell down before Jesus and said,
‘Lord, come away from me! I am a sinful man.’ This humility pleased
Jesus the most. He said to Peter: ‘Do not be afraid!’ Yes, he told him
that he would convert many more people to God.
These are the virtues that lead to Jesus and to following him: good
will, trust and humility, which comes from recognising sin. Peter and
his brother Andrew, James and his brother John followed Jesus. He loved
them and they were almost always with him from that time onwards.
Jesus is not short on good deeds. Those who have surrendered to him with
a faithful heart never have to regret it. His mercy is new every day.
When he came to Peter's house, he found a new opportunity to comfort
troubled minds. Peter's mother-in-law was lying ill. Jesus touched her
hand and the illness left her. She got up like a healthy person and
served him.
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