Wednesday – 1st Week in Ordinary Time

Gospel – Mark1:29-39

A Labor of Love

Peter’s House, St. Peter’s Church, Capernaum 

 

In-laws are a funny breed

They laugh, they cry, they fill a need

They’re an extra set of parents too often taken for granted

Another pair of helpers when in trouble we’ve landed.

 

Much maligned in jokes and song

In-laws bear the pain

Of a surplus of offsprings

A daughter or a son.

 

They seem to share the burden

Of their new child’s obligations

His thoughts, his actions

His new-found undertakings.

 

And though it is difficult to always do

Either in speech or in expression

Remember always throughout life

This son really loves the both of you.    12/21/72

 

Believe it or not, I wrote this for Ginger’s parents 50 years ago!  But it seems appropriate, given today’s Gospel, to revisit the importance and influence of in-laws (parents) in our lives. Today’s Gospel picks up from yesterday.  Jesus has just preached in the synagogue in Capernaum.  And as soon as He hears that Peter’s mother-in-law is sick, He goes to her bedside, grasps her hand, helps her onto her feet and she is cured.

Yes, I know, there is a curious line afterwards where she immediately goes back to her daily chores and waits on Jesus and the disciples.  But isn’t that the case for every mom and mom-in-law we know.  No matter how tired they may be, they put aside their aches and pains to take care of their children and their family day in and day out.  And more often than not, they do it quietly.  Not a word is spoken.  So I wonder if, in this case, she is simply letting her actions be her way of giving thanks for being cured.  Talk about a labor of love!

Are you tired?  Not sleepless night or household work tired but bone-tired, exhausted but not from any physical work.  You lack the energy, the drive, the motivation to do anything.  That kind of tired!  Weighed down by the events of the past year and a half and filled with concern for your family, yourself, your world!  Sound familiar?  And yet, in spite of it all, as parents, as grandparents, as in-laws, we pick ourselves up and do what we must to care for our family.  A true labor of love!

Great Spirit, grant us the courage and the strength to serve You by serving others.  Help us always to appreciate the presence and example of parents and in-laws in our lives!

Point of reference – today’s Gospel reading picks up right after the events of yesterday.  Jesus preaches in the synagogue in Capernaum and then cures the man with a demon.  He then goes to Peter’s house (first photo).  Today a magnificent modern church rests on top of Peter’s house. You can look down inside the church and see those ruins (2nd photo).  The synagogue is just to the left, a short walk of barely 100 feet. 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Image
  Sunday – 13 th Sunday in Ordinary Time   revisited Gospel – Matthew 10:37-42 The Cost/Rewards of Discipleship Via Dolorosa, Jerusalem I’m holding in my hand a simple piece of paper, barely bigger than an index card.   It’s a mini-golf scorecard and it’s 47 years old.   At the time, the game itself probably cost only about $6.   Certainly a lot less than you would pay today.   So the cost today doesn’t seem like much.   But for me all that time ago, it was a wealth of money.   So it cost me a lot.   But the rewards of the card?   Well, that is priceless.   This was one of the first dates Ginger and I went on.   And who would have guessed how that would turn out?   All the memories we have shared, painful and joyful.   All the times we have shared together and the people who have touched our lives!   Priceless! Cost and reward!   Two vastly different concepts but they play a key role in all of today’s readings.   In the first reading, a rich woman goes out of her way t
Read more
Image
  14 th Sunday in Ordinary Time   revisited Gospel – Matthew 11:25-30 The “Little Ones” Open Market, Jerusalem There’s a story about a rather eccentric teacher who was always looking for creative ways to test (torture) his students.   Sometimes it was crazy project and sometimes it was a wacky exam that tested not just their knowledge but also their experience. So one day he hands out a test, typical normal test, Q/A, except this was the last question.   What’s the name of the school janitor?   One of his students looked at the question and thought – I know he’s short, wears glasses and has light brown hair but how in the world would I know his name?   So he left it blank and turned in his paper. When class was over, he went up to the teacher and asked whether that last question would count in the test grade.   Absolutely, said the teacher.   Throughout your whole life, you will find that every person you cross paths with is important, significant.   They deserve you
Read more
Image
  16 th Sunday in Ordinary Time   revisited Gospel – Matthew 13:24-30 Be Patient, My Child Tied Up in Knots! Many years ago, I remember one summer when it was time for our daughter Jaime to learn how to ride a bicycle.   So I took off the training wheels, she climbed onto the bike and proceeded to take off.   I followed close behind, holding onto the back bumper, trying to keep the bike upright and trying to make sure she didn’t fall.   It was exhausting for both of us.   I thought I was being a good dad by doing everything I could to keep her from falling.   But it didn’t work.   We were both getting frustrated.   Finally, she had had enough and she banished me to sit on the front porch while she worked it out on her own.   It took time and it took a lot of patience, something neither one of us had much of at the start of the process. I was getting impatient with the process and she was getting impatient with me.   Patience was in short supply.   But in the end, patience w
Read more