Coffee With God

Reflection: Mark 1:29-39

Today’s Gospel passage presents Jesus’ healing of Peter’s mother-in-law and then of many other sick and suffering people who gather round him. The healing of Peter’s mother-in-law is the first physical healing recounted by Mark: the woman is in bed with a fever. Father Armellini gives a beautiful explanation for this act of healing performed by Jesus. The Gospel begins by telling us that Jesus went into the House of Peter. He was teaching in the synagogue in Capernaum during the day and then he walked into the house of Peter. While writing his Gospel as a catechetical material for the people preparing for the sacrament of Baptism in Rome, Evangelist Mark intends to tell his listeners about the preaching and healing mission that they too have to carry out. Jesus brings the Good News to his people and walks into the House of Peter. Here, the House of Peter is the Church. There he finds the woman of the house sick. She is down with a fever that prevents her from getting out of the bed. This woman is an image of each of us, the faithful of the Church. At times, we get infected with fevers of our ego and selfishness. It keeps us bound to the bed and we refuse to get up and serve our brethren around us. Jesus picked her up by hand and she was cured. Her immediate response was to get up and serve them. If the Church has to carry on the mission of healing, first, it has to treat its own fevers that prevent the Church from being at the service of one another. When we ourselves are sick, we cannot bring healing to others. First, Jesus brings healing to his own household – the Church. By evening, the whole village gathers around the House of Peter – the Church and Jesus brings healing to all the sick. The whole world stands in need of healing and the role and mission of the Church is to carry on the healing mission of Jesus. Taking care of the sick is not an “optional activity” for the Church. And this mission is to bring God’s tenderness to a suffering humanity. A Successful day at work doesn’t stop Jesus from moving on to new places and people. While the whole village was in search of him, Jesus finds time for his prayer and demonstrates that we have to move on. People are still going to be in need. How often do we object to transfers from our places of work or Mission. We feel that we have a lot more to do there and the people there need us. But, today’s gospel demonstrates so clearly that the world doesn’t revolve around ME Or YOU. We need to move on, bringing the healing and comforting message of Jesus.