ONLY JESUS ​​COULD BE SO GOOD AND MERCIFUL TO TREAT AND HEAL A MOTHER-IN-LAW

«Simone's mother-in-law was in bed with a fever and they immediately told him about her. He approached and made her stand up by the hand; the fever left her and she served them. Evening came, after sunset, they brought him all the sick and possessed. The whole city was gathered in front of the door».

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The pericope of the Gospel of this V Sunday of Ordinary Time tells us again about Jesus' typical day in Capernaum.

"During that time, Jesus, left the synagogue, he immediately went to the house of Simone and Andrea, in the company of Giacomo and Giovanni. Simone's mother-in-law was in bed with a fever and they immediately told him about her. He approached and made her stand up by the hand; the fever left her and she served them. Evening came, after sunset, they brought him all the sick and possessed. The whole city was gathered in front of the door. He healed many who were suffering from various illnesses and cast out many demons; but he did not allow the demons to speak, because they knew him. Early in the morning he got up while it was still dark and, out, he withdrew to a deserted place, and there he prayed. But Simone and those who were with him set out on his trail. They found him and told him: «Everyone is looking for you!». He told them: «Let's go somewhere else, in nearby villages, because I preach there too; For this is why I came!». And he went throughout all Galilee, preaching in their synagogues and casting out demons". (MC 1,29-39)

If Mark's frequent use of the adverb "immediately" it served to speed up the narrative time, highlighting Jesus' haste regarding the announcement of the kingdom; in today's song, the locations here are also taken into account, like a space that tends to expand more and more. In fact, the movement of the story passes through the synagogue of the town on the lake (MC 1,29) to Peter's house, then again from the house to the open road in front of the courtyard door of Peter's house (v. 33), from a city to nearby villages (v. 38); at last, from the villages to "all Galilee" (v. 39). As if all space, quickly, must be occupied by Jesus, from his announcement and his works.

The characters of the story they are the disciples closest to Jesus, Simone's mother-in-law and above all the sick. These are the ones who take over the scene. They can already be found where Jesus arrives, like Pietro's mother-in-law, or they are brought to him; still others look for him spontaneously from dawn, when he is praying. Illness frames our song: be it a fever or a deeper suffering, spiritual or physical (like that caused by the impure spirits of v. 39), the vocabulary of the semantic field of the illness studs the story and is consistently present, including all the narration.

«And they immediately told him about her». The concern for this elderly woman is striking, because it shows attention towards the fragile and faith in the presence of Jesus. The elderly, feverish woman is not hidden from the Master as if she were a problem or someone to be ashamed of, so it wouldn't be worth bothering. The fact that the disciples immediately spoke to Jesus about Peter's mother-in-law shows that that woman was a priority for them. They don't ask for healing, they do not exploit the presence of the Master for their own purposes, they simply indicate the sick woman: this person is important to them. From this we can understand the meaning and value of intercession as of speaking on someone's behalf. Jesus appreciates it, so much so that he immediately does something: he holds out his hand to her, he lifts her up and then heals her of her illness. Jesus wants to be disturbed by the sick. Jesus appreciates and admires the intercession on behalf of the sick, as in the case of the centurion who intercedes for his sick servant (LC 7,1-10).

The theme of illness, we were saying, runs through the entire text of St. Mark. Suffering touches every man, but «experiencing one's own impotence in the illness, the man of faith recognizes that he is radically in need of salvation. He accepts himself as a poor and limited creature. He relies totally on God. He imitates Jesus Christ and feels personally close to him." (Adult Catechism, The truth will set you free, 1021). It is the "conversion" to which the sick healed by Jesus are called, rather, to which we are all called.

Thus we discover another meaning of Jesus' first words in the Gospel of Mark: «The time is fulfilled and the kingdom of God is near» (MC 1,15). Time and space, but men and women are also touched by the fullness of God's presence and the kingdom is that reality in which the encounter with Jesus is possible. Jesus does not only carry out therapeutic activities, because his gestures are accompanied by words, from teachings. In fact these are signs to say that the kingdom is near: miracles announce and inaugurate the kingdom of God and correspond to Israel's expectations, where it was believed that the Messiah would come with thaumaturgical abilities. For this reason the announcement that "the kingdom is near" is complementary to the word "repent and believe in the gospel", because the crowds that flock to Jesus, before these divine gestures, they are called to believe and convert. If this doesn't happen, miracles are useless, as Matthew explains in another passage: «Then he began to rebuke the cities in which he had performed the greatest number of miracles, because they did not repent: Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida. Because, if in Tyre and Sidon they had been done the miracles that were done among you, some time would have repented, wrapped in sackcloth and ashes" (Mt 11,20-21). The greatest healing that God can bring about is from our unbelief.

Finally, perhaps related to what we just said, we note the small discrepancy between the "all" who flock to Jesus to be healed (vv. 32.33.37) and the "many" who instead, actually, they are healed: «He healed many who were afflicted with various diseases» (v. 34). That, But, it is superseded by the resurrection vocabulary used by Mark. In fact, the verb that Mark uses to narrate the healing of Peter's mother-in-law - "he lifted her up" in v. 31) — is very important in the New Testament, because it does not only occur in healing contexts (MC 2,9.11; 5,41; 9,27), but above all in the story of the resurrection of Lazarus (GV 12,1.9) and of Christ (ad es.: At 3,15; RM 10,9). How Jesus was able to lift up Simon's mother-in-law, thus he will be able to give life to the dead, to everyone. The path that Mark wants us to take to come to know who Jesus is then becomes clear. He who in the opening of the Gospel is defined as "Son of God" (MC 1,1), as the Baptizer in the Holy Spirit (v. 8), as the "beloved Son" (v. 11) he is finally revealed in his being towards men: he is the one who "came" («exited», verbatim, from the verb exérchomai; cf.. v. 38) to men to listen to him and be healed of their infirmities.

The story of Jesus' day continues with rest, but then «early in the morning he got up while it was still dark and, out, he withdrew to a deserted place, and there he prayed. Simone and those who were with him set out on his trail. They found him and told him: «Everyone is looking for you!» (MC 1,35-37). We do not know which desert place the evangelist may be referring to, but it certainly couldn't have been far from the lake. Mark has already mentioned Jesus' prayer, in the form celebrated in the synagogue. This morning prayer is personal, as we also learn from other evangelical traditions, it seems to be the Lord's way of bringing everything back to the Father: what he experienced since the previous evening, what will await him in the day that continues. Thus Jesus teaches his disciples that prayer is essential to create unity in one's life.

From the Hermitage, 4 February 2024

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