So He came and took her by the hand and lifted her up, and immediately the fever left her. And she served them

 

 Now as soon as they had come out of the synagogue, they entered the house of Simon and Andrew, with James and John.  But Simon's wife's mother lay sick with a fever, and they told Him about her at once.  So He came and took her by the hand and lifted her up, and immediately the fever left her.  And she served them.  

 

At evening, when the sun had set, they brought to Him all who were sick and those who were demon-possessed.  And the whole city was gathered together at the door.   Then He healed many who were sick with various diseases, and cast out many demons; and He did not allow the demons to speak, because they knew Him. 

 

Now in the morning, having risen a long while before daylight, He went out and departed to a solitary place; and there He prayed.  And Simon and those who were with Him searched for Him.  When they found Him, they said to Him, "Everyone is looking for You."  But He said to them, "Let us go into the next towns, that I may preach there also, because for this purpose I have come forth."  And He was preaching in their synagogues throughout all Galilee, and casting out demons. 

 

Now a leper came to Him, imploring Him, kneeling down to Him and saying to Him, "If You are willing, You can make me clean."  Then Jesus, moved with compassion, stretched out His hand and touched him, and said to him, "I am willing; be cleansed."  As soon as he had spoken, immediately the leprosy left him, and he was cleansed.  And He strictly warned him and sent him away at once,  and said to him, "See that you say nothing to anyone; but go your way, show yourself to the priest, and offer for your cleansing those things which Moses commanded, as a testimony to them."  However, he went out and began to proclaim it freely, and to spread the matter, so that Jesus could no longer openly enter the city, but was outside in deserted places; and they came to Him from every direction.

 

- Mark 1:29-45 

 

 Now after John was put in prison, Jesus came to Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God, and saying, "The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand.  Repent, and believe in the gospel." And as He walked by the Sea of Galilee, He saw Simon and Andrew his brother casting a net into the sea; for they were fishermen.  Then Jesus said to them, "Follow Me, and I will make you become fishers of men."  They immediately left their nets and followed Him.  When He had gone a little farther from there, He saw James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother who also were in the boat mending their nets.  And immediately He called them, and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired servants, and went after Him.  Then they went into Capernaum, and immediately on the Sabbath He entered the synagogue and taught.  And they were astonished at His  teaching, for He taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes.  Now there was a man in their synagogue with an unclean spirit.  And he cried out, saying, "Let us alone!  What have we to do with You, Jesus of Nazareth?  Did You come to destroy us?  I know who You are -- the Holy One of God!"  But Jesus rebuked him, saying, "Be quiet, and come out of him!"  And when the unclean spirit had convulsed him and cried out with a loud voice, he came out of him.  Then they were all amazed, so that the questioned among themselves, saying, "What is this?  What new doctrine is this?  For with authority He commands even the unclean spirits, and they obey Him."  And immediately His fame spread throughout all the region around Galilee. 

 

  Now as soon as they had come out of the synagogue, they entered the house of Simon and Andrew, with James and John.  But Simon's wife's mother lay sick with a fever, and they told Him about her at once.  So He came and took her by the hand and lifted her up, and immediately the fever left her.  And she served them.  Passages such as this in the Gospels (see also Matthew 8:14-15, Luke 4:38-39) and 1 Corinthians 9:5 (in which Peter is called Cephas) show us that St. Peter was married.  My study Bible comments that the Lord's healing miracles are diverse.  Here, He heals by touch.  Elsewhere, such as in rebuking the unclean spirit in yesterday's reading (see above), He heals with a word.  This healing of St. Peter's mother-in-law  is immediate and complete; others are gradual (Mark 8:22-25) or they require the cooperation of the person healed or of his loved ones (Luke 8:54-55).  All of Christ's miracles or signs (the word used in St. John's Gospel) manifest His redemption of ailing humanity.  In the case of St. Peter's mother-in-law we must recognize that her serving this early ministry of Christ is a restoration of her place in the household, as one who serves Christ.  In modern language and culture, we might fail to recognize that this is an honored place.  The word translated as "served" is διακονέω/diakoneo, from which we derive the English word "deacon."  In effect she takes her place one who ministers to Christ.

 

 At evening, when the sun had set, they brought to Him all who were sick and those who were demon-possessed.  And the whole city was gathered together at the door.   Then He healed many who were sick with various diseases, and cast out many demons; and He did not allow the demons to speak, because they knew Him.  Once again, the Gospel emphasizes that Jesus' messianic identity is to be kept a secret; therefore He did not allow the demons to speak, because they knew Him.  See also yesterday's reading and commentary.  

 

 Now in the morning, having risen a long while before daylight, He went out and departed to a solitary place; and there He prayed.  And Simon and those who were with Him searched for Him.  When they found Him, they said to Him, "Everyone is looking for You."  But He said to them, "Let us go into the next towns, that I may preach there also, because for this purpose I have come forth."  And He was preaching in their synagogues throughout all Galilee, and casting out demons.  My study Bible comments that here Jesus sets forth for us an example of spiritual life.  Although He was God incarnate, he prayed continually, and often found a solitary place to be freed from distraction -- despite everyone's need of Him.  My study Bible notes that the Lord's ministry comes forth from His communion with the Father and the Holy Spirit and flows to people in their needs.  His praying in the morning teaches that we must put as first priority our commitment to God, and only then we will be equipped to properly serve others.

 

 Now a leper came to Him, imploring Him, kneeling down to Him and saying to Him, "If You are willing, You can make me clean."  Then Jesus, moved with compassion, stretched out His hand and touched him, and said to him, "I am willing; be cleansed."  As soon as he had spoken, immediately the leprosy left him, and he was cleansed.  And He strictly warned him and sent him away at once,  and said to him, "See that you say nothing to anyone; but go your way, show yourself to the priest, and offer for your cleansing those things which Moses commanded, as a testimony to them."  However, he went out and began to proclaim it freely, and to spread the matter, so that Jesus could no longer openly enter the city, but was outside in deserted places; and they came to Him from every direction.  The biblical law concerning leprosy is found in Leviticus 13; 14.  In Deuteronomy 24:8 we may find the requirement for purification of lepers and leprous houses, a duty which was entrusted to the priests.  My study Bible explains that leprosy was considered a direct punishment for sins, and as lepers were unclean, they weren't permitted to live in community or to worship in synagogues or the temple.  To touch the unclean was forbidden (Leviticus 7:21), but Jesus touched the leper, expressing His compassion, and showing that Christ is not subject to the Law but is over it.  To the clean, my study Bible notes, nothing is unclean (see Romans 14:14; Titus 1:15).  

 

 What do we make of St. Peter's mother-in-law, who, upon her immediate healing by Jesus, being lifted up by Him, served Jesus and His disciples in their family home?  This word used for her act of serving, as noted above, is the basis for our word in the Church for those who serve, deacon.  Essentially we can read that she is ministering to Christ's ministry, to Him and to His first called disciples in her home which would become the ministry headquarters for Jesus.  It tells us a kind of story of the traditional roles of women in the Church, as it was women who ministered to the ministry, so to speak, by supporting it out of their own resources.  In Luke 8, we read these women:  "Now it came to pass, afterward, that He went through every city and village, preaching and bringing the glad tidings of the kingdom of God. And the twelve were with Him, and certain women who had been healed of evil spirits and infirmities—Mary called Magdalene, out of whom had come seven demons, and Joanna the wife of Chuza, Herod’s steward, and Susanna, and many others who provided for Him from their substance" (Luke 8:1-3).  At the Cross, St. Matthew tells us quite literally:  "And many women who followed Jesus from Galilee, ministering [my italics] to Him, were there looking on from afar, among whom were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James and Joses, and the mother of Zebedee’s sons" (Matthew 27:55-56).  So, just as these women (especially Mary Magdalene) would also become known as apostles to the apostles after they are the first to see the risen Christ and so spread the news to the apostles of Christ's Resurrection, during His earthly ministry, they are "ministers to the ministers," if you will.  In a modern context, we are tempted to equate serving with a diminished status, but for these women this is not so.  Their roles are indispensable.  Without them, Christ's ministry could not have been supported and carried on as it was; they are an integral part not only of His ministry, but of the entire story of salvation.  Without them, events would not have unfolded as they did, for these women went even to His tomb to anoint and care for His body, even when the apostles were in hiding.  Thus, just as they literally supported His ministry, they were the first to hear, believe, and proclaim the Resurrection -- see Luke 24:1-10.  Theirs are not simply secondary roles available to women in a society in which women had diminished status.  These are roles given through the spiritual reality of Christ's ministry, which these women filled with strength, resourcefulness, resilience, and a kind of courage that at time surpassed that of the apostles.  Let us not make the common present assumption that because they served, their roles are not as honorific as were the men's.  One would consider that a misreading and misunderstanding of what is being communicated to us in the Gospels, and what a tremendous honor they had to serve God in this integral and essential way.  Moreover, this would be a neglectful understanding of the impact which Christ's ministry and specifically His treatment of women would have on the whole of society and in every place in which Christianity became practiced; those effects are undeniable.  A woman's soul is essential to the salvation plan of Christ as any man's, and this is made clear through His ministry.  The many early martyrs in the Church who were young women who chose not to marry as their families demanded, but to claim their soul's redemption even if it meant death is, in fact, testimony to this.  Today, of course, because of the effects of Christianity on culture and history, our societies differ from Christ's immediate contemporaries, and so new questions arise for the role of women in the Kingdom and in ministry.  But let us not project upon the past and diminish these women's roles and their powerful sanctification as embraced by Christ and enshrined in the Church as God's work in the world.  Let us not apply a worldly standard to the truth of the truly counter-cultural reality of Christ, for whom His followers participated in a Kingdom which rendered them in the world but not of it.  

 

 

 

So the last will be first, and the first last. For many are called, but few chosen

 

 "For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard.  Now when he had agreed with the laborers for a denarius a day, he sent them into his vineyard.  And he went out about the third hour and saw others standing idle in the marketplace, and said to them, 'You also go into the vineyard, and whatever is right I will give you.'  So they went.  Again he went out about the sixth and the ninth hour, and did likewise.  And about the eleventh hour he went out and found others standing idle, and said to them, 'Why have you been standing here idle all day?'  They said to him, 'Because no one hired us.'  He said to them, 'You also go into the vineyard, and whatever is right you will receive.'  So when evening had come, the owner of the vineyard said to his steward, 'Call the laborers and give them their wages, beginning with the last to the first.'  And when those came who were hired about the eleventh hour, they each received a denarius.  But when the first came, they supposed that they would receive more; and they likewise received each a denarius.  And when they had received it, they complained against the landowner, saying, 'These last men have worked only one hour, and you made them equal to us who have borne the burden and the heat of the day.'  But he answered one of them and said, 'Friend, I am doing you no wrong.  Did you not agree with me for a denarius?  Take what is yours and go your way.  I wish to give to this last man the same as to you.  Is it not lawful for me to do what I wish with my own things?  Or is your eye evil because I am good?'  So the last will be first, and the first last.  For many are called, but few chosen."

 

- Matthew 20:1-16 

 

Yesterday, following His encounter with the rich young ruler,  Jesus said to His disciples, "Assuredly, I say to you that it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven.  And again I say to you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God."  When His disciples heard it, they were greatly astonished, saying, "Who then can be saved?"  But Jesus looked at them and said to them, "With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible."  Then Peter answered and said to Him, "See, we have left all and followed You.  Therefore what shall we have?"  So Jesus said to them, "Assuredly I say to you, that in the regeneration, when the Son of Man sits on the throne of His glory, you who have followed Me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.  And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or lands, for My name's sake, shall receive a hundredfold, and inherit eternal life.  But many who are first will be last, and the last first."

 

  "For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard.  Now when he had agreed with the laborers for a denarius a day, he sent them into his vineyard.  And he went out about the third hour and saw others standing idle in the marketplace, and said to them, 'You also go into the vineyard, and whatever is right I will give you.'  So they went.  Again he went out about the sixth and the ninth hour, and did likewise.  And about the eleventh hour he went out and found others standing idle, and said to them, 'Why have you been standing here idle all day?'  They said to him, 'Because no one hired us.'  He said to them, 'You also go into the vineyard, and whatever is right you will receive.'  So when evening had come, the owner of the vineyard said to his steward, 'Call the laborers and give them their wages, beginning with the last to the first.'  And when those came who were hired about the eleventh hour, they each received a denarius.  But when the first came, they supposed that they would receive more; and they likewise received each a denarius.  And when they had received it, they complained against the landowner, saying, 'These last men have worked only one hour, and you made them equal to us who have borne the burden and the heat of the day.'  But he answered one of them and said, 'Friend, I am doing you no wrong.  Did you not agree with me for a denarius?  Take what is yours and go your way.  I wish to give to this last man the same as to you.  Is it not lawful for me to do what I wish with my own things?  Or is your eye evil because I am good?'  So the last will be first, and the first last.  For many are called, but few chosen."  My study Bible explains that in this parable, the vineyard is life in this world.  The day refers both to the span of a single person's life, and also to the whole of human history.  The laborers are all the people in every nation.  Each hour can refer to times in a person's life, whether infancy, youth, adulthood, maturity, or old age.  There is also a second meaning in the span of history, referring to those called during the covenants with Adam, Noah, Abraham, Moses, and finally Christ.  Take note that God's generosity provides equal reward for both early and late comers.  Jesus teaches here that the former should not be proud of their long service, nor should they resent those called at the eleventh hour.  My study Bible adds that to the latecomers, Jesus teaches that it is possible even in a short time, or at the end of one's life, to recover and inherit everything.  In the early Church, we're told, this message applied specifically to the Jews (the first-called) and the Gentiles (those called later).  In our time, it can apply to those who were raised in the Church and to those who find the Church later in life, both of whom receive an equal reward.  The renowned paschal sermon of St. John Chrysostom is based on this parable, applying it to the preparations of each person in approaching the paschal Eucharist. 

 

My husband is an economist, and when I asked him his opinion about this parable, he said that in an economics perspective, the same payment for different work (or work hours) means that each worker makes a unique contribution, and each contribution is necessary to the project.  The equal payment also teaches us about the equality in the Kingdom, that each soul is equally precious, and giving meaning to Jesus' words, "the last will be first, and the first last."  So, as in the paschal homily of St. Chrysostom, we are each reassured that God welcomes our contributions, and each is precious to the completion of the project of the kingdom of heaven, of Christ's mission for salvation in our world.  Indeed, we may assume that in the fullness of salvation, no souls are meant to be lost -- just as Jesus taught in the parable of the ninety-nine sheep and one stray (found in this reading).  Each is precious and necessary to God.  The parable of the Prodigal Son illustrates this point eloquently (Luke 15:11-32).  As in our recent readings regarding the rich young ruler, we remind ourselves once again that Christ's life for us is the way of the Cross, and our "work" in faith -- our own cross to take up -- will be unique for each of us.  As we know from the lives of the saints, and countless others, including perhaps one's own life experience, there are differing amounts of time one may suffer with a particular cross.  Sometimes injustices last a lifetime; sometimes they do indeed take away our lifetime (as in the case of martyrs).  Some suffer seemingly lesser burdens than others.  But in all cases, the unique cross we each bear becomes, in some way paradoxically, the means of our salvation.  We find that exchanging our way of seeing and thinking about and even responding to that particular cross of ours for the meanings and efforts and work that Christ will give us is, in the end, the whole point.  So, for today, which is the day of Thanksgiving in my country, the United States of America, I invite my readers to consider giving thanks for just that, that cross that you bear in life.  For perhaps, through the grace of God, it is the very thing that blesses your life most profoundly, the very work in the vineyard that God has given you to do to contribute to God's kingdom, and for the life of the world. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And He took the five loaves the the two fish, and looking up to heaven, He blessed and broke and gave the loaves to the disciples; and the disciples gave to the multitudes

 

 When Jesus heard it, He departed from there by boat to a deserted place by Himself.  But when the multitudes heard it, they followed Him on foot from the cities.  And when Jesus went out He saw a great multitude; and He was moved with compassion for them, and healed their sick.  When it was evening, His disciples came to Him, saying, "This is a deserted place, and the hour is already late.  Send the multitudes away, that they may go into the villages and buy themselves food."  But Jesus said to them, "They do not need to go away.  You give them something to eat."  And they said to Him, "We have here only five loaves and two fish."  He said, "Bring them here to Me."  Then He commanded the multitudes to sit down on the grass.  And He took the five loaves the the two fish, and looking up to heaven, He blessed and broke and gave the loaves to the disciples; and the disciples gave to the multitudes.  So they all ate and were filled, and they took up twelve baskets full of the fragments that remained.  Now those who had eaten were about five thousand men, besides women and children. 

 

- Matthew 14:13-21 

 

 Yesterday we read that at this time in Christ's ministry, Herod the tetrarch heard the report about Jesus and said to his servants, "This is John the Baptist; he is risen from the dead, and therefore these powers are at work in him."  For Herod had laid hold of John and bound him, and put him in prison for the sake of Herodias, his brother Philip's wife.  Because John had said to him, "It is not lawful for you to have her."  And although he wanted to put him to death, he feared the multitude, because they counted him as a prophet.  But when Herod's birthday was celebrated, the daughter of Herodias danced before them and pleased Herod.  Therefore he promised with an oath to give her whatever she might ask.  So she, having been prompted by her mother, said, "Give me John the Baptist's head here on a platter."  And the king was sorry; nevertheless, because of the oaths and because of those who sat with him, he commanded it to be given to her.  So he sent and had John beheaded in prison.  And his head was brought on a platter and given to the girl, and she brought it to her mother.  Then his disciples came and took away the body and buried it, and went and told Jesus.

 

  When Jesus heard it, He departed from there by boat to a deserted place by Himself.   According to Theophylact, when Jesus heard it refers not to John's death (see yesterday's reading, above), but to Herod's comment that Jesus is John raised from the dead.  It tells us perhaps that this is a signal of another turning point in Christ's ministry.  Recently we read He was rejected in His hometown of Nazareth.  He is already being questioned and menaced by the Jewish religious establishment, the Pharisees and scribes.  With Herod fearing Christ and His power, it is a sign that state power has now turned its attention to Him.  So perhaps this turning to a deserted place by Himself is, as is His custom, a time for prayer and communion with the Father, seeking the direction His ministry should take in response and for the future.

 

  But when the multitudes heard it, they followed Him on foot from the cities.  And when Jesus went out He saw a great multitude; and He was moved with compassion for them, and healed their sick.  When it was evening, His disciples came to Him, saying, "This is a deserted place, and the hour is already late.  Send the multitudes away, that they may go into the villages and buy themselves food."  But Jesus said to them, "They do not need to go away.  You give them something to eat."  And they said to Him, "We have here only five loaves and two fish."  He said, "Bring them here to Me."  Then He commanded the multitudes to sit down on the grass.  And He took the five loaves the the two fish, and looking up to heaven, He blessed and broke and gave the loaves to the disciples; and the disciples gave to the multitudes.  So they all ate and were filled, and they took up twelve baskets full of the fragments that remained.  Now those who had eaten were about five thousand men, besides women and children.   Jesus is unable to get away by Himself, as by now His popularity and the the demand for Him is so great.  My study Bible comments that this miracle, which is reported by all four Evangelists, shows Jesus feeding a great multitude of God's people, just as He, as Lord, fed the Israelites in the desert (see Exodus 16).  In this feeding in the wilderness, we're told, the Church Fathers see an image of the Eucharist, an idea which is made clear in John 6.  There is another miracle in the future reading in St. Matthew's Gospel, in which Jesus feeds four thousand people, with a different number of loaves.  My study Bible comments that some modern scholars try to say that they're the same story, but Jesus' words make clear they are not (Matthew 15:32-39; 16:8-10).  It is frequently written of Christ that He was moved with compassion (Matthew 20:34; Mark 1:41, 6:34; Luke 7:13), which shows that His power and authority are extended to people who suffer.  There is also a spiritual interpretation regarding the five loaves, that it indicates the five books of the Law (Genesis through Deuteronomy), which my study Bible says are broken open in Christ and thereby feed the universe.  The two fish represent the Gospel Book and the Epistle Book, the teaching of the fishermen.  In blessing the food, Jesus shows us that we should not eat without first giving thanks to God.  This terminology He uses points to the Last Supper (Matthew 26:26) and contributes to the eucharistic interpretation of this miracle.  As the disciples distribute the bread to the multitudes, so Christ feeds the Eucharist to His flock through the hands of His bishops and presbyters.  The gathering of the leftover by the apostles shows that the teachings which we are unable to grasp are nevertheless always held in the consciousness of the Church. 

 

The story of the loaves and fishes reminds us about abundance; it invites us to ask questions.  Where does abundance come from?  What constitutes abundance?  When is it that we feel we need such abundance?  It's important to note that the people who followed Him on foot from their cities truly desired Him.  His compassion first comes in the form of healing.  In other Gospels, we also find He preached to them.  St. Mark tells us that Jesus was moved with compassion for these people because they were "like sheep not having a shepherd," and so His first act of compassion is to teach them many things (see Mark 6:30-44).  So perhaps our first consideration is to contemplate just what Jesus feeds these people with -- which things does He truly sense they need, and in what order or priority?  There is also the fact that it is because they remain with Him for so much time that the necessity for food comes to the fore.  Jesus shows them tremendous, and importantly for customs and culture in Christian context, hospitality.  He makes the table for them, so to speak, invites them to His supper.  And this language obviously applies to the suggestion of the Eucharist to come.  But perhaps the greatest "sign" here for us to see is Christ's power of multiplication, for such a power belongs to God.  Such a power belongs to the God who created the world.  Perhaps there are many today who speak about an underlying framework of reality which occurs as fractal (see especially symbologist Jonathan Pageau).  That is, the repeated images and patterns which occur and re-occur, scaled to all measure of scale, from the largest to the smallest.  One example of a fractal pattern is the phenomenon of snowflakes; they seem to be a repeated pattern when they occur, each bears resemblance to another but each is unique, infinitely replicating and yet diverse in detail.  This study of reality as an underlying pattern of fractals gives rise to considerations about the creative power of God, and the presence of that very creative power in all things we know.  One small reflection of that is the pattern of the Eucharist, the pattern of this feeding in the wilderness -- and a great example lies in the pattern of Christ's multiplication of the fish and loaves in order to feed a whole multitude.  It is an act which mirrors and reflects the way that God creates.  This feeding itself is a type of pattern, which will be fulfilled in the Eucharist, which in turn will come to be fulfilled in our participation in the life of Christ and our coming together, and being consistently reborn as community, as the faithful in Christ's Kingdom.  If we think about how this very example of God's creative power as multiplicity may work in our lives as faithful, then we may also come to understand how we follow Christ in times of need, or difficulty, or when we are also like sheep not having a shepherd, when we seek answers to problems that present themselves to us.  We always have our Shepherd, and it is the pattern of His very life that is set down for us to repeat, each as a unique expression of faith in following Him.  Do we feel we lack abundance? We might start with gratitude for what we do have, and prayer for what we think we don't.  Do we need to care for people and feel we will be unable to do so?  We start with hospitality and work from there.  We see what we can multiply, what we can divide, who has something that will help and is willing to do so.  And we start with everything in love, because God is love, and if love does not guide us, then we are being misled.  These are all patterns of repetition and multiplication that we need to seek when we are out "in the wilderness" so to speak, for we seek Him in all things (another example of how fractals work).  We seek the meaning that Christ can offer, even in our suffering, for the Cross is also one of those patterns of our lives that means we are to live "like Him."  In this sense we think of the power of God for multiplication, that we each become temples to God, and the Holy Spirit can work in this way as a pattern of multiplication in us, through our communities, through time, for He is the finger of God, sent by the Father, through the Son.  These are all the endlessly multiplied fractals of holy power, the creative power of God, working through our lives and through Jesus Christ, our Lord who gave us all things.  Let us consider the blessings we've got, and be thankful for them, engaging in these gifts for all of us from God.

 

 

 

 

 

And as many as touched Him were made well

 

 Now when evening came, the boat was in the middle of the sea; and He was alone on the land.  Then He saw them straining at rowing, for the wind was against them.  Now about the fourth watch of the night He came to them, walking on the sea, and would have passed them by.  And when they saw Him walking on the sea, they supposed it was a ghost, and cried out; for they all saw Him and were troubled.  But immediately He talked with them and said to them, "Be of good cheer!  It is I; do not be afraid."  Then He went up into the boat to them, and the wind ceased.  And they were greatly amazed in themselves beyond measure, and marveled.  For they had not understood about the loaves, because their heart was hardened.  

When they had crossed over, they came to the land of Gennesaret and anchored there.  And when they came out of the boat, immediately the people recognized Him, ran through that whole surrounding region, and began to carry about on beds those who were sick to wherever they heard He was.  Wherever He entered, into villages, cities, or the country, they laid the sick in the marketplaces, and begged Him that they might just touch the hem of His garment.  And as many as touched Him were made well. 

 

- Mark 6:47-56 

 

Yesterday we read that the apostles, having returned from their first apostolic mission, gathered to Jesus and told Him all things, both what they had done and what they had taught.  And He said to them, "Come aside by yourselves to a deserted place and rest a while."  For there were many coming and going, and they did not even have time to eat.  So they departed to a deserted place in the boat by themselves.  But the multitudes saw them departing and many knew Him and ran there on foot from all the cities.  They arrived before them and came together to Him.  And Jesus, when He came out, saw a great multitude and was moved with compassion for them, because they were like sheep not having a shepherd.  So He began to teach them many things.  When the day was now far spent, His disciples came to Him and said, "This is a deserted place, and already the hour is late.  Send them away, that they may go into the surrounding country and villages and buy themselves bread; for they have nothing to eat."  But He answered and said to them, "You give them something to eat."  And they said to Him, "Shall we go and buy two hundred denarii worth of bread and give them something to eat?"  But He said to them, "How many loaves do you have?  Go and see."  And when they found out they said, "Five, and two fish."  Then He commanded them to make them all sit down in groups on the green grass.  So they sat down in ranks, in hundreds and in fifties.  And when He had taken the five loaves and the two fish, He looked up to heaven, blessed and broke the loaves, and gave them to His disciples to set before them; and the two fish He divided among them all.  So they all ate and were filled.  And they took up twelve baskets full of fragments and of the fish.  Now those who had eaten the loaves were about five thousand men.  Immediately He made His disciples get into the boat and go before Him to the other side, to Bethsaida, while He sent the multitude away.  And when He had sent them away, He departed to the mountain to pray.

 

  Now when evening came, the boat was in the middle of the sea; and He was alone on the land.  Then He saw them straining at rowing, for the wind was against them.  Now about the fourth watch of the night He came to them, walking on the sea, and would have passed them by.  And when they saw Him walking on the sea, they supposed it was a ghost, and cried out; for they all saw Him and were troubled.  But immediately He talked with them and said to them, "Be of good cheer!  It is I; do not be afraid."  Then He went up into the boat to them, and the wind ceased. My study Bible notes that this is the second time Christ permits His disciples to be caught in a storm (see also this reading from chapter 4, for the storm that occurred on their way to the country of the Gadarenes).  That first time, He was with them, asleep in the stern of the boat.  This time, Jesus has remained behind, and was praying on the mountain (see yesterday's reading, above), while He sent the disciples back across the Sea of Galilee, alone.  My study Bible comments that in this way, Christ strengthens their faith that He will always be with them in the midst of the storms of life.  It is I is literally translated "I Am," which is the divine Name of God (see John 8:58, Exodus 3:14).  In this statement, my study Bible asserts, Christ is reminding His fearful disciples of His absolute and divine authority over their lives.  The fourth watch of the night is approximately three o'clock in the morning.

And they were greatly amazed in themselves beyond measure, and marveled.  For they had not understood about the loaves, because their heart was hardened.  My study Bible comments that knowing Christ is a matter of the heart, not simply of the intellect.  When our hearts are illumined by faith in God, they are open to receive His presence and grace.  Let us think carefully about the word "faith."  In the Greek of the New Testament, it is a word that means "trust."  We therefore trust in Christ with our hearts, and this is akin to love, a loving relationship with one who has our best interest in heart.  In the ascetic writings of the Church, my study Bible reminds us, the heart is known as "the seat of knowledge."

 

 When they had crossed over, they came to the land of Gennesaret and anchored there.  And when they came out of the boat, immediately the people recognized Him, ran through that whole surrounding region, and began to carry about on beds those who were sick to wherever they heard He was.  Wherever He entered, into villages, cities, or the country, they laid the sick in the marketplaces, and begged Him that they might just touch the hem of His garment.  And as many as touched Him were made well. My study Bible comments here that Christ permits miracles through touch to show that His very body is life-giving.  See also the woman with the years-long flow of blood, who touched His garment in faith in Mark 5:25-29.

If we take a look at this term, the land of Gennesaret, the name significantly tells us something which can relate to the text.  In Christ's time, this was an exceptionally fertile plain, producing a great variety of crops for consumption and also wild trees and flowers.  According to the Encyclopedia of the Bible, rabbinical tradition spoke of this plain as "the garden of God: and a "paradise."  Moreover, the first syllable of Gennesaret likely comes from a word that means "gardens," with a name attached.  Some suggest its Hebrew roots may mean "princely gardens."  Whatever the correct etymology of this word, it seems likely that this tremendous flowering of Christ's ministry that happens here gives us a picture of the "garden" of Christ, our Lord.  Because of the great power of His work to heal that is on display, especially because of the faith of those who run to Him, we view the fullness of what His salvation is and means.  Earlier, Jesus spoke of Himself to the Pharisees as a Physician (see this reading from chapter 2).  When confronted by them as to why He sat at table with sinners and tax collectors, He simply replied, ""Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick.  I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance."   Therefore we are to understand that Christ's identity and Physician, and this work of healing -- on all levels -- is central to the understanding of salvation, of the very meaning and purpose of the Incarnation.  If all of this healing takes place in this "princely garden" of God, a sort of paradise on earth, then we are to think of our faith and the work of Christ -- indeed the work of grace through the Holy Spirit -- as that which is healing.  Repentance also is central to this work, because repentance is necessary for change and forward movement in the direction of God.  The New Testament Greek word translated as "repentance" literally means "change of mind," and this change of mind that happens through the help of grace and the work of God, and needs our assent and faith, is a healing work.  It is a healing that affects the soul and all the part of who we are in turn, on all levels.  We read the quotation Jesus gives from Isaiah, when He explains to the disciples why He speaks in parables, and it tells us, "Make the heart of this people dull, and their ears heavy, and shut their eyes; lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and return and be healed" (Isaiah 6:10, referenced in Matthew 13:14-16).  Our growth in faith, our deepening reconciliation to God through this work of transformation and grace, is indeed the work of healing.  Ultimately it is our souls and spirits which are healed, but this in turn affects body, mind, emotions, and the fullness of life.  For if we are healed in faith, we rest in a kind of love and security that feeds everything else, and we receive the kind of internal healing that knits us together where we are broken, surpassing what a normal physician can do for us.  There is no doubt, in terms of scientific and medical literature, what the effects of stresses are in our lives, and faith goes directly to this level of the heart, the center of our being.  For, as my study Bible points out and the ancient tradition of the Church tells us, the heart is a matter of much more than simply an intellectual decision.  It is a place of noetic discernment and understanding, a deep center within us that links us to the grace of God.  Let us consider the importance of trust and of all of its implications.  When we read about this place of "paradise" and "princely gardens" we should remember in whose garden we wish to be, the great Physician who has what we need for our deepest ailments.   In yesterday's reading, foretelling of the Eucharist, Jesus fed five thousand men -- and more women and children -- in a deserted place, multiplying meager resources.  Let us consider that He us in ways He deems necessary for ongoing healing and growth, nurturing all that we are -- especially the way we experience and see ourselves in this world.  In times which document growing rates of anxiety and depression, the way we find healing is most important, and can have the greatest impact on our lives.

I am willing; be cleansed

 

 Now as soon as they had come out of the synagogue, they entered the house of Simon and Andrew, with James and John.  But Simon's wife's mother lay sick with a fever, and they told Him about her at once.  So He came and took her by the hand and lifted her up, and immediately the fever left her.  And she served them.  

At evening, when the sun had set, they brought to Him all who were sick and those who were demon-possessed.  And the whole city was gathered together at the door.  Then He healed many who were sick with various diseases, and cast out many demons; and He did not allow the demons to speak, because they knew Him.

Now in the morning, having risen a long while before daylight, He went out and departed to a solitary place; and there He prayed.  And Simon and those who were with Him searched for Him.  When they found Him, they said to Him, "Everyone is looking for You."  But He said to them, "Let us go into the next towns, that I may preach there also, because for this purpose I have come forth.  And He was preaching in their synagogues throughout all Galilee, and casting out demons.  

Now a leper came to Him, imploring Him, kneeling down to Him and saying to Him, "If You are willing, You can make me clean."  Then Jesus, moved with compassion, stretched out His hand and touched him, and said to him, "I am willing; be cleansed."  As soon as He had spoken, immediately the leprosy left him, and he was cleansed.  And He strictly warned him and sent him away at once, and said to him, "See that you say nothing to anyone; but go your way, show yourself to the priest, and offer for your cleansing those things which Moses commanded, as a testimony to them."  However, he went out and began to proclaim it freely, and to spread the matter, so that Jesus could no longer openly enter the city, but was outside in deserted places; and they came to Him from every direction.

 

- Mark 1:29–45 

 

On Saturday, we read that after John was put in prison, Jesus came to Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God, and saying, "The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand.  Repent, and believe in the gospel."  And as He walked by the Sea of Galilee, He saw Simon and Andrew his brother casting a net into the sea; for they were fishermen.  Then Jesus said to them, "Follow Me, and I will make you become fishers of men."  They immediately left their nets and followed Him.  When He had gone a little farther from there, He saw James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, who also were in the boat mending their nets.  And immediately He called them, and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired servants, and went after Him.  Then they went into Capernaum, and immediately on the Sabbath He entered the synagogue and taught.  And they were astonished at His teaching, for He taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes.  Now there was a man in their synagogue with an unclean spirit.  And he cried out, saying, "Let us alone!  What have we to do with You, Jesus of Nazareth?  Did You come to destroy us?  I know who You are -- the Holy One of God!"  But Jesus rebuked him, saying, "Be quiet, and come out of him!"  And when the unclean spirit had convulsed him and cried out with a loud voice, he came out of him.  Then they were all amazed, so that they questioned among themselves, saying, "What is this?  What new doctrine is this?  For with authority He commands even the unclean spirits, and they obey Him."  And immediately His fame spread throughout all the region around Galilee.

 

 Now as soon as they had come out of the synagogue, they entered the house of Simon and Andrew, with James and John.  But Simon's wife's mother lay sick with a fever, and they told Him about her at once.  So He came and took her by the hand and lifted her up, and immediately the fever left her.  And she served them.  So far in this first chapter of Mark's Gospel, we've been given one healing act by Christ, and that was an exorcism.  In Saturday's reading, above, He commanded an unclean spirit who recognized Him as the Holy One of God, "Be quiet, and come out of him!"  But here we have the first healing of an illness:  Simon's mother-in-law has a fever.  This is in the family home of Simon (Peter) and his brother Andrew.  In Matthew's Gospel, we're told that Jesus "rebuked the fever" which implies, in the words of St. Cyril of Alexandria, that there "exist certain powers that inflict harm on the human body."  But here, Jesus acts through touch, in that He took her by the hand and lifted her up.  If we think about it, this seems to be quite a symbolic act of restoration to her place in the household, an image of the fullness of Christ's Incarnation, in which He will be lifted up in order to lift up others (John 3:13-15, 12:31-33).

At evening, when the sun had set, they brought to Him all who were sick and those who were demon-possessed.  And the whole city was gathered together at the door.  Then He healed many who were sick with various diseases, and cast out many demons; and He did not allow the demons to speak, because they knew Him.  Once again, the text emphasizes Jesus as one who heals, or sets aright.  As Logos, or the Word (John 1:1-4), Jesus is the One through whom all things are called into order.  And here we observe that action, and the people's response to it, as the whole city was gathered together at the door of Simon and Andrew's home.  He healed many who were sick with various diseases, He cast out many demons.  Christ did not allow the demons to speak, because they knew Him.  As in yesterday's reading, when in the synagogue He told the unclean spirit to "Be quiet!" so here He commands silence for the same reasons.  His identity must as yet remain secret, as the hostility of the religious leadership will grow, the people's expectations are for an entirely different type of Messiah who will be a worldly political leader, and His desire to evoke genuine faith which is not based only on the signs He performs.

Now in the morning, having risen a long while before daylight, He went out and departed to a solitary place; and there He prayed.  And Simon and those who were with Him searched for Him.  When they found Him, they said to Him, "Everyone is looking for You."  But He said to them, "Let us go into the next towns, that I may preach there also, because for this purpose I have come forth.  And He was preaching in their synagogues throughout all Galilee, and casting out demons.  My study Bible comments here that Jesus sets forth for us an example of spiritual life.  Though He is God incarnate, He prayed continually, frequently finding a solitary place in order to be free from distraction, despite the multitude's need of Him ("Everyone is looking for You").  Christ's ministry, my study Bible tells us, comes forth from His communion with the Father and the Holy Spirit and flows to people in their needs.  His praying in the morning teaches us that we must put as first priority our commitment to God, and only then will are we equipped to serve others.  

Now a leper came to Him, imploring Him, kneeling down to Him and saying to Him, "If You are willing, You can make me clean."  Then Jesus, moved with compassion, stretched out His hand and touched him, and said to him, "I am willing; be cleansed."  As soon as He had spoken, immediately the leprosy left him, and he was cleansed.  And He strictly warned him and sent him away at once, and said to him, "See that you say nothing to anyone; but go your way, show yourself to the priest, and offer for your cleansing those things which Moses commanded, as a testimony to them."  However, he went out and began to proclaim it freely, and to spread the matter, so that Jesus could no longer openly enter the city, but was outside in deserted places; and they came to Him from every direction.  Jesus tells the leper to "say nothing to anyone; but go your way, show yourself to the priest" and offer the proper things "commanded by Moses, as a testimony to them."  Leprosy was a terrible scourge of the time, which brought people severe hardships.  My study Bible reminds us that the biblical law concerning leprosy is found in Leviticus 13, 14.  Deuteronomy 24:8 describes the purification of lepers and leprous houses, which was a duty entrusted to the priests.   My study Bible says that leprosy was considered to be a direct punishment for sins -- as lepers were unclean, they were not permitted to live in the community or to worship in synagogues or the temple.  To touch the unclean was forbidden (Leviticus 7:21), but Jesus touched the leper, showing His compassion, and also that He is not subject to the Law, but over it.  My study Bible comments that to the clean, nothing is unclean.

The issue of touch is significant in today's reading, as it appears twice during healing.  First there is Peter's mother-in-law, who is sick with a fever.  The fever itself does not render a touch by Christ strange, but then there is the issue of a Man like Christ with a respected woman of Peter's household.  Certainly there were public restrictions regarding male and female conduct and familiarity which were part of the contemporary society. (and that included regulations regarding touch).  But the emphasis here on Jesus' taking hold of her hand is on healing.  In some sense, this is a scene between Peter's mother-in-law and Jesus which is reminiscent of a doctor attending a patient at the bedside.  His touch is respectful; neither does He sit on her bed where she is laying with fever.  But most of all, His touch is healing and accompanies the healing.  She is at once restored to her place in the household, a very important place indeed.  Not only is she likely the eldest female, but it is her privilege (not a drudgery) to serve Christ and the disciples which have begun to gather in their home.  But then the Gospel magnifies indeed this understanding of a touch from Jesus Christ.  For in the healing of the leper we find Jesus acting contrary to the prohibition against touching what was unclean, but this is also in the service of compassion and healing.  Let us note immediately that Christ's respect as a devout Jew is also for the Law given by God, and He tells the leper to go and follow the Law as given to Moses in making the proper offering and presenting Himself to the priest.  And so, in the image of the healing of the leper is contained another summing up of Christ's ministry:  He is the Physician who heals from compassion, and His expression is for compassion as a way of true fulfillment of God's law.  He will show this over and over again when He heals on Sabbaths, and is finally persecuted for doing so by those overzealous for their own traditions over and against the Law and the true intent of the Law.  What we can take from Jesus is an understanding that compassion and healing are ways of upholding the prime commandments of God.  Jesus will sum up all the Law and the Prophets in two commandments:  the first and greatest is to love God with all one's heart, and soul, and mind, and strength; and the second is to love neighbor as oneself (see Mark 12:30-32).  We become more "like" what we love; therefore this set of commandments is a way to learn love from God, and to share that with neighbor, whom God has also made in God's image and likeness (Genesis 1:26).  But, importantly, and to distinguish how this love works, it is not a love which is expressed in sentimentality or romanticism.  It is not a love that infantilizes others, nor does it smother them or disrupt their growth if they need to stand on their own.  It does not diminish others by discounting their own capacity or responsibility.  This is a love that works above all to heal.  And the compassion Jesus expresses is always to heal, to set aright, to cleanse, to restore (especially to proper order).  Let us remember that even a rebuke from the Lord is an act of love; Revelation 3:19 reads, "As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten. Therefore be zealous and repent."  Those whom Jesus loves are called "disciples" -- they are those who will learn from Him.  All of this is compassion with intent to heal, to set aright, to put in order.  Mark's Gospel is the one which will report to us that Jesus taught, "The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath" (Mark 2:27).  Let us continue on the journey of the good news of Jesus Christ, the One who saves and heals, and who teaches us about the compassion to do likewise.

Peace, be still!

 On the same day, when evening had come, He said to them, "Let us cross over to the other side."  Now when they had left the multitude, they took Him along in the boat as He was.  And other little boats were also with Him.  And a great windstorm arose, and the waves beat into the boat, so that it was already filling.  But He was in the stern, asleep on a pillow.  And they awoke Him and said to Him, "Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?"  Then He arose and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, "Peace, be still!"  And the wind ceased and there was a great calm.  But He said to them, "Why are you so fearful?  How is it that you have no faith?"  And they feared exceedingly, and said to one another, "Who can this be, that even the wind and the sea obey Him!"

- Mark 4:35-41

Yesterday we read that Jesus taught, "Is a lamp brought to be put under a basket or under a bed?  Is it not to be set on a lampstand?  For there is nothing hidden which will not be revealed, nor has anything been kept secret but that it should come to light.  If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear."  Then He said to them, "Take heed what you hear.  With the same measure you use, it will be measured to you; and to you who hear, more will be given.  For whoever has, to him more will be given; but whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him."   And He said, "The kingdom of God is as if a man should scatter seed on the ground, and should sleep by night and rise by day, and the seed should sprout and grow, he himself does not know how.  For the earth yields crops by itself:  first the blade, then the head, after that the full grain in the head.  But when the grain ripens, immediately he puts in the sickle, because the harvest has come."  Then He said, "To what shall we liken the kingdom of God?  Or with what parable shall we picture it?  It is like a mustard seed which, when it is sown on the ground, is smaller than all the seeds on earth; but when it is sown, it grows up and becomes greater than all herbs, and shoots out large branches, so that the birds of the air may nest under its shade."  And with many such parables He spoke the word to them as they were able to hear it.  But without a parable He did not speak to them.  And when they were alone, He explained all things to His disciples.

 On the same day, when evening had come, He said to them, "Let us cross over to the other side."  Now when they had left the multitude, they took Him along in the boat as He was.  And other little boats were also with Him.  And a great windstorm arose, and the waves beat into the boat, so that it was already filling.  But He was in the stern, asleep on a pillow.  And they awoke Him and said to Him, "Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?"  Then He arose and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, "Peace, be still!"  And the wind ceased and there was a great calm.  But He said to them, "Why are you so fearful?  How is it that you have no faith?"  And they feared exceedingly, and said to one another, "Who can this be, that even the wind and the sea obey Him!"  My study bible emphasizes Christ's mastery over creation on display in today's reading.  This is another sign that He is the Messiah and is divine.  To command the sea and the waves is possible only for God (Job 38:8-11; Psalm 65:5-6, 106:9).  Jesus' humanity is also on display:  He was asleep because as human being, He needed rest.  In the Incarnation, Jesus assumes all the natural actions of the flesh -- one of which is sleep.  The image of Christ and His disciples in a boat is also classically used to illustrate the Church.  My study bible says that "God both permits storms and delivers us through them," so that we can see God's protection more clearly.  The rebuke of the storm by Christ also illustrates His capacity for calming the tempests in the human soul.

In certain ways, today's passage is a perfect illustration of setting out on a road to expansion in a personal sense.  Jesus tells the disciples, "Let us cross over to the other side" of the Sea of Galilee.  These are experienced fishermen with Him; Peter and Andrew and James and John Zebedee were professional fishermen when they became followers of Christ.  Moreover, the Sea of Galilee is their home.  Their whole lives have been spent on its shore and working in its waters.  But the wind and the waves of this storm terrify even them; all of the men in the boat clearly fear they are about to die.  In the course of Jesus' ministry, it's the first time they're setting out into uncharted waters, so to speak.  They've spent their time among peoples that are known to them, territories more or less close to home or at least familiar.  The Sea of Galilee isn't really a sea at all but a very large freshwater lake, about 13 miles long by 8 miles wide.  But it was home to many peoples and cultures, which included Greek and Roman influence.  For the first time, Jesus commands the disciples now that they must sail across the sea to the other side, and they will encounter there something entirely different and unusual.  But in the setting off in the dark across unfamiliar waters, and sailing into a storm, we find a perfect metaphor for the times in our own lives when we are challenged to learn something bigger and deeper than we've encountered before.  God challenges us to expand ourselves not with simple and easy tasks, but with tasks that involve risk and adventure, upsets and even frightening obstacles.  Usually we may encounter right away the fears that come to us when we set about doing something brand new.  Let us take note that this storm is very real; it's not an illusion and its not a hallucination.  It's not merely a fear, but rather a fear manifesting before them and surrounding them with things that are truly threatening.  But it's faith that has to go the way here, and it's faith that leads the way.  They would not be here unless Christ had commanded it.  In my experience, God does lead us into the place where we need healing, where life isn't really something we've mastered and understand well.  In other words, into places where we've got something to learn -- and where we need to learn it the right way, God's way.  We'll be led into places where our faith can shine a light in us, and faith itself will be tested and must be relied upon.  Life is a journey, and our faith the journey into it, more deeply.  Faith also commands that we be healed ourselves, in whatever ways may be necessary.  These are journeys we can't pretend to know for ourselves, because they are always to places we haven't explored, into which we need to expand and to grow, and within which we may need correction, healing, transcendence of our own self-imposed or worldly limits.  In particular, our own fears will be confronted.  When our fears are raised, our assumptions challenged, it's time to turn to God, to prayer, to find the way through.  Nothing may be what we've predicted, but that's the nature of life, the nature of change, and the only path to healing and growth.  It's God's love we find along the way, the and trust (faith) we place in that love.   In the Greek, Christ's command, "Peace, be still!" is more literally translated as demanding silence and commanding that the storm "muzzle" itself.   It is Christ whose true peace we need, which demands quiet and commands the threatening roar to cease.

For this purpose I have been sent

 Now He arose from the synagogue and entered Simon's house.  But Simon's wife's mother was sick with a high fever, and they made request of Him concerning her.  So He stood over her and rebuked the fever, and it left her.  And immediately she arose and served them.

When the sun was setting, all those who had any that were sick with various diseases brought them to Him; and He laid His hands on every one of them and healed them.  And demons also came out of many, crying out and saying, "You are the Christ, the Son of God!"  And He, rebuking them, did not allow them to speak, for they knew that He was the Christ.

Now when it was day, He departed and went into a deserted place.  And the crowd sought Him and came to Him, and tried to keep Him from leaving them; but He said to them, "I must preach the kingdom of God to the other cities also, because for this purpose I have been sent."  And He was preaching in the synagogues of Galilee.

- Luke 4:38-44

Yesterday, we read that Jesus went down to Capernaum, a city of Galilee, and was teaching them on the Sabbaths.  And they were astonished at His teaching, for His word was with authority.  Now in the synagogue there was a man who had a spirit of an unclean demon.  And he cried out with a loud voice, saying, "Let us alone!  What have we to do with You, Jesus of Nazareth?  Did you come to destroy us?  I know who You are -- the Holy One of God!"  But Jesus rebuked him, saying, "Be quiet, and come out of him!"  And when the demon had thrown him in their midst, it came out of him and did not hurt him.  Then they were all amazed and spoke among themselves, saying, "What a word this is!  For with authority and power He commands the unclean spirits, and they come out."  And the report about Him went out into every place in the surrounding region.

  Now He arose from the synagogue and entered Simon's house.  But Simon's wife's mother was sick with a high fever, and they made request of Him concerning her.  So He stood over her and rebuked the fever, and it left her.  And immediately she arose and served them.   My study bible quotes Cyril of Alexandria here:  "That which was rebuked was some living thing unable to withstand the influence of Him who rebuked it, for it is not reasonable to rebuke a thing without life and unconscious of the rebuke.  Nor is it astonishing for there to exist certain powers that inflict harm on the human body."  We also learn here that Peter is married with a family, and we catch a glimpse of this life in his home, in which Jesus and the disciples are also present.

When the sun was setting, all those who had any that were sick with various diseases brought them to Him; and He laid His hands on every one of them and healed them.  And demons also came out of many, crying out and saying, "You are the Christ, the Son of God!"  And He, rebuking them, did not allow them to speak, for they knew that He was the Christ.   In a way, we're given a sample of "a day in the life" of Jesus' ministry.  He begins by preaching.  He returns "home" to Peter's house, where they find Peter's mother-in-law ill with fever.  She's healed, and the meal begins.  As the sun is setting, the sick come to Him.  Healing is inseparable from His mission for the Kingdom in the world.  And yet, His true identity must for now remain His secret.   In all kinds of circumstances, Jesus is present and intervenes; the varied healings are as diverse as the circumstances and the people who need His help.

Now when it was day, He departed and went into a deserted place.  And the crowd sought Him and came to Him, and tried to keep Him from leaving them; but He said to them, "I must preach the kingdom of God to the other cities also, because for this purpose I have been sent.'  And He was preaching in the synagogues of Galilee.  Daybreak comes, and Jesus begins the day with prayer, relationship to the Father, an inseparable, profound basis for all that He does and is.   My study bible says that Christ's primary mission was to preach the kingdom.  It notes, "Miracles and healings testify both to the truth of the message and the identity of the Teacher (see 5:24).  This same pattern holds true in the Church (Acts 4:29-30)."

It seems that Jesus has a most definite mission, and we're given glimpses of His determination and efforts to stick to that mission.  People always want to interfere with it; they have other personal concerns, like wanting to make Him king (John 6:15).   But Jesus is always true to His mission, always ready to follow the leadership of the Father.  And this is real leadership, that we are willing to do so, as well.  Sometimes it's not necessary that the whole world know our "mission."  In today's reading, we have Jesus discussing the purpose He is here in the world ("for this purpose I have been sent"), even if His identity for now must remain a secret.  I read a quotation recently from Jean Vanier, founder of L'Arche communities.   He said, "In a true community, each of us is able to keep our own deepest secret which must not be handed over to others nor even shared. Each of us should be able to deepen our own personal conscience and mystical life. It is precisely here that the weakness and strength of the community lie. There is weakness because the ways of God for an individual are not always those of the people at the head of the community or what human reason and experience establish. But the strength is in putting people first. There is nothing stronger than a heart which loves and is freely given"  (Jean Vanier, Community and Growth, pg. 21).  Jesus really exemplifies what Vanier is saying, and in so doing, He sets the example for all of us.  We begin -- in our relationships with others -- precisely with our relationship to God, to the Father.  That is just the way Jesus begins His day.  We each of us have a mission.   Christ has exemplified what it is to be on such a mission.  In this "secret place" of prayer with the Father, this mystical place of connection to God, we find our mission.  Sometimes this very tender place mustn't be shared with anyone, it must be guarded and kept in our hearts, and properly nurtured.  But there will come a time when it sprouts growth, and parts of it may be shared with others, put into community, and then shaped and redefined by that experience of community and those whose hearts are with us, with love. That is, with prayerful intention as well.  That's the purpose of a spiritual director or confessor.  But in every case, it is within the context of love and faith that we want our best, highest, most precious capacities for mission to be fulfilled.  Let us follow Jesus' example, and remember where all our priorities really come from, and how to put them in place each day, each morning and night.