THE HEALING OF SIMON'S MOTHER-IN-LAW

Mark 1:29-39

The Gospel presents to us the story of the healing of Simon’s mother-in-law. Yesterday, Jesus went into the synagogue to attend the synagogue service. In the Synagogue, his teaching and powerful deeds amazed everybody, and his apostles witnessed that. It is the end of the service, and then Jesus goes to Simon’s home. At home, Peter shows Jesus his sick mother-in-law, and Jesus cures her.

Christ healed in the synagogue, showing he had the power of God. As Peter saw this in the Synagogue, he wanted Jesus to bring that power of God into his home. He wanted to benefit from this power of God this is why he presented to Jesus his mother-in-law for healing. The first lesson is that the gospel invites us to be able to take God home from Church. Here we are in church; nourished by the Word of God, fed with the Body and Blood of Christ, we are called to take home from church this power of God we witness to; to bring God into our daily lives for the benefit of our brothers and sisters.

The second lesson is that, after the mother-in-law was cured of fever, she immediately stood up, waited on and served the Lord. Her actions point to the fact that all of us are healed always for others. Jesus restores life for the service of others. The mother-in-law, once healed, gets up and, with her health restored and having recovered her dignity, she begins to serve. Jesus does not only heal the person, but he does it in such a way that he begins to serve life.

A lesson to us is that you and I are blessed for others, we are given graces to serve others, and we receive benefits for others. We are never, never blessed only for ourselves. We are never healed for ourselves. We are never treated with much delight and favor only for ourselves. We are healed, we are favored, we are blessed for one significant purpose: THE SERVICE TO OTHERS. How are we at the service of our brothers and sisters? How do we share with others the graces and blessings we receive from the Lord?