5th Sunday of Ordinary Time, year ’B’ “And at once leaving the synagogue Jesus went with James and John straight to the house of Simon and Andrew. Now, Simon’s mother-in-law was in bed and feverish, and at once they told him about her. Jesus went in to her and took her by the hand and helped her up. And the fever left her and se began to serve them. And he wen through all Galilee proclaiming the Good news in their synagogue and driving out devils.”
Jesus lets himself be touched by all those who demand from him because he spends so much ime with his Father in silent prayer.I t is because he lives in the Father that he can tirelessly go round about each day. To the extent that our union grows in the life of Christ, he remodels our life and our heart in this double communion which for him was the expression of his being as the Mediator : comunion with the Father and comunion with his brothers and sisters. Jesus takes the hand of Simon’s mother-in- law with ardour, and has her stand up. This is the Gospel of the Good News for this woman who joyfully takes up her occupatione again, with her health given back to her, happy again to go about her daily duties. We contemplate the face of Jesus, the way he looks lovingly at us all, and we let his face be reflected upon our faces. We have been baptised in Christ, the Holy Spirit dwells within us, our most intimate desire is that we become his disciples.
“That evening after sunset they brought to him all who were sick and those who were possessed by devils. The whole town came crowding round the door, and he cured many who were sick with diseases of one kind or another ; he also drove out many devils, but he would not allow them to speak, because thye knew who he was.”
In the Peace of God, in the rumours of the world : our solitude, like that of Christ, is a ’sonorous solitude’, that echos the silence of God,, echoing the world that is to be saved. And it is the same Sprit that has us fall at every moment into prayer and that breathes on the flames of the charisms of our confirmation, having us grow like sons and daughters of the Church. We too are with Jesus, everywhere where Jesus goes to save : besides this is the mission of the universal Church , that we join staying put by a life that is
completely givn up to Love. Jesus is in the presence of the sick, of men possessed by evil spirits, he heals them and saves them. Our humanity is going through difficult times : for many people the evening never leaves them,we are invaded with nightmares until dawn : ’Hardly have I gone to bed that do I say to myself, when shall I be able to get up. and when dawn comes I see the day as a void, there is nothing but nothingnesss.’ Jesus carries this humanity in prayer and in his heart. The whole life of Jesus is envelopped with the Father’s gaze, the Father had seen the msiery of his people. The Father sends Jesus into his people and Jesus sends us amongst his people , nourrished by His Body and Blood so as to ’become’ it, and shine Him forth amongst the world. Jesus wants to have us stand up so that we can walk on his ways.
“The next morning, long before dawn, he got up and left the house and went off to a lonely place and prayed there. Simon and his companions set out in search of him, and when they found him they said, ’Everybody is looking for you.’ But Jesus answered : ’ Let us go elsewhere to the neighbouring country towns, so I can proclaim the message there too, because that is why I came.”
After this time of intense activity, close to the sick and possessed people, Jesus takes a long time of solitude in prayer. This is the rhythm of the Son of God, this is how he intensely lives his union with the Father who sends him, and how he lives his solidarity with the men he comes to save. He is genuinely man when he is alone before God : really the Son of God when he is lost in the crowd of men. It is the same Jesus of Nazareth who withdraws very early in the morning to a place of desert, to awaken the dawn, turned towards God to welcome the light of the new day. Each day Jesus widens the field of hs mission and of his testimony. We know how much Jesus’ prayer is important. Here he reflects the face of the Father, the infinite Love of his heart for suffering humanity. For him, when he gets up before dawn, it is his way of serving humanity with so much Love. This service of Love which Jesus has is a service of prayer, he asks us to accomplish it and this is fundamental. The life of Jesus is an inner reality of Love. Jesus came by like a blaze of fire : ’I have come to light a fire on earth and how I yearn for it to be ablaze! ’ We have become his children of Light who burn Love with him : ’Let us move on to the neighbouring villages.’