Sunday Meditation: Peter’s Mother-In-Law

The long first day of Jesus’s ministry as delineated in the first chapter of the Gospel of Mark continues from last week’s reading.  Remember it is still the Sabbath and Jesus returns after preaching at the synagogue to Peter’s home.

 

On leaving the synagogue

Jesus entered the house of Simon and Andrew with James and John.

Simon's mother-in-law lay sick with a fever.

They immediately told him about her.

He approached, grasped her hand, and helped her up.

Then the fever left her and she waited on them.

 

When it was evening, after sunset,

they brought to him all who were ill or possessed by demons.

The whole town was gathered at the door.

He cured many who were sick with various diseases,

and he drove out many demons,

not permitting them to speak because they knew him.

 

Rising very early before dawn, he left

and went off to a deserted place, where he prayed.

Simon and those who were with him pursued him

and on finding him said, "Everyone is looking for you."

He told them, "Let us go on to the nearby villages

that I may preach there also.

For this purpose have I come."

So he went into their synagogues,

preaching and driving out demons throughout the whole of Galilee.

~Mk 1:29-39

There are three parts to this Gospel reading, and almost everyone focuses on Jesus’s healing of Peter’s mother-in-law.  Most of the homilies I could find focus on that, and perhaps that’s because it is the most narratively drawn, and also because of the all the speculation that Peter’s wife must have existed if Peter has a mother-in-law.  The second part of the reading recalls how after word got out that Jesus was a healer, how after the Sabbath’s sunset everyone in town brought someone over for healing.  The third passage seems out of place, and frankly I could not find a homily that brought all three passages together.  So I will expound on the third passage after you hear Dr. Brant Pitre explain the first two passages.

 

So with the healings at Peter’s door, the long day ends, and in the morning Jesus secludes himself to pray.  When the apostles find him, he tells them to come with him and continue his preaching in more villages.  Why is this passage connected with the previous passages?  Notice, He says that they are go to other synagogues to preach and drive out more demons. 

First I want to point that this third passage summarizes the Dominican (the Order of Preachers) charism succinctly: seclusion in contemplative prayer but then an outbound meeting of people to preach.  Dominicans are both contemplative and itinerant.

Second, the prayer serves as a restoration of energy to perform the preaching and works of mercy.  To use an automotive analogy, one has to fill the tank in order to travel.  Prayer re-energizes the body to meet the demands of ministry.  This is a lesson for our apostolates and ministries.  

 

Meditation: "Let us go on to the nearby villages that I may preach there also.  For this purpose have I come."