The Good News for the 5th Sunday in Ordinary Time
Sunday, February 6, 2000
Job 7:1-4, 6-7
1 Corinthians 9:16-19, 22-23
Mark 1:29-39

Peter's wife never appears in the Gospels. Paul implies she accompanied Peter on his trips (1 Corinthians 9:5). Beyond that, we don't even know her name. We know more about her mother than we do about her. And what we know of her mother isn't much: She lived with Peter and Andrew in a house with a door at Capernaum. She was susceptible to fever. Jesus cured her. She waited on visitors. That's about it. We don't know her name either. Her shopping habits, parenting skills, hair stylist - all have been lost in the pre-computer cookie-free data-poor environment of blissfully anonymous first century Palestine.

Nonetheless, Peter's mother-in-law plays a significant role early on in Mark's Gospel, as we'll hear next Sunday (1:29-39). The setting, you may recall from last week, is Jesus' first day on the job in Capernaum, his ministry already in full swing. He began by expelling a demon from a man in the local synagogue. Now he cures a woman of fever. These two episodes demonstrate the individual care which made Jesus' ministry so riveting.

That eventful day continued as evening fell. People brought all the ill and demonically possessed to Jesus. Mark says he cured "many" - an expression that probably means "all," just as we might say "gazillions." "Many" means "lots" here, not "some." We feel the impact on the crowd because Mark has already featured two individuals. Jesus' work keeps its personal nature, even as it occurs in a huge setting.

The cure of Peter's mother-in-law encompasses several subtle points. As the scene opens, she lies prostrate and feverish. The family tells Jesus about her. He approaches, grasps her hand, and helps her up. Jesus moves into action once people explain the situation to him. His actions culminate in the expression, "helped her up." Mark underscores the change in posture. She who was lying down now was raised up - just as the faithful Christian will lie down in death, but will be raised up by Christ. In fact, Mark uses the same verb here to describe the woman's new posture as he does at the end of the Gospel to describe Jesus' resurrection.

The proof of the cure is told in two phrases: the fever left her and she waited on them. Although we speak of a fever as something which we have, in Mark's mind the fever had the woman. At Jesus' action the fever left her. In the primitive world view, sickness manifested possession. The feverish demon that had this woman was exorcized by the command of Christ.

When Peter's mother-in-law waited on the visitors, she exercised genuine hospitality. She demonstrated that the cure worked immediately. But she also showed the completion of this whole series of actions. Every Christian imitates her: Immobilized by the fever of sin, we rely on the support of the community to notify Jesus of our plight. He exorcizes whatever keeps us from him and raises us up to new life through baptism and belief. As a result, we serve Christ in others.

The rest of the next Sunday's Gospel makes points about demons, prayer, and the extent of Jesus' work.

When Jesus expelled demons he also silenced them. As we hear at Mass today, the demons know who Jesus is. Jesus does not want this word to get out. In Mark, Jesus holds a "messianic secret." Perhaps afraid of misunderstanding, he forbids people and demons to speak about his role.

P rayer concludes this amazing day. Jesus rose early at dawn, went off by himself, and prayed. Mark depicts Jesus at prayer twice more: after the miracle of the loaves and in the garden of Gethsemane. In all these instances his identity is at stake. Some assume he is a miracle worker; others call him a criminal. In moments like this Jesus finds the source of his strength in prayer.

Already after his first day Jesus clearly understands the extent of his work. His followers want him back at Capernaum where his fame had spread like wildfire. But he knows his mission extends farther. In moving on to other towns, Jesus does not seek more fame. He announces that his mission extends to the ends of the earth.

All this dignifies the role of Peter's mother-in-law. Even though Jesus must take time for prayer, battle demons, and launch a global mission, he still values the individual, even one known more for her service than for her name.

Father Paul Turner is pastor of St. John Francis Regis Parish, Kansas City.