A day in the life of Jesus… Any similarities with yours?

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Gospel: Mark 1: 29-39

On leaving the synagogue
Jesus entered the house of Simon and Andrew with James and John.
Simon’s mother-in-law lay sick with a fever.
They immediately told him about her.
He approached, grasped her hand, and helped her up.
Then the fever left her and she waited on them.

When it was evening, after sunset,
they brought to him all who were ill or possessed by demons.
The whole town was gathered at the door.
He cured many who were sick with various diseases,
and he drove out many demons,
not permitting them to speak because they knew him.

Rising very early before dawn, 
he left and went off to a deserted place, where he prayed.
Simon and those who were with him pursued him
and on finding him said, “Everyone is looking for you.”
He told them, “Let us go on to the nearby villages
that I may preach there also.
For this purpose have I come.”
So he went into their synagogues, preaching and driving out demons 
throughout the whole of Galilee.

The Gospel of the Lord.

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Today’s Gospel describes a full day in the life of Jesus.

We begin mid-morning, where we encounter the Lord casting out an unclean spirit from a man in the synagogue. This is his first public miracle (according to Mark’s Gospel), revealing his definitive power of evil.

“After lunch,” Jesus enters Simon Peter’s home, where he heals Simon’s mother-in-law who is deathly ill. This second miracle reminds us that, like the synagogue or the local parish church, the home is a sacred place. It’s a “domestic church.”

The Lord continues his ministry of healing until after sunset. I’d imagine by the end of the night, Jesus was exhausted.

But the Gospel tells us that he rose, “very early before dawn,” where he went off on his own to a deserted place to pray. Jesus must’ve began each day that way … up early, in prayer.

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Prayer is essential for growth in our spiritual lives. It sustains us.

The Lord reminds us that the best time to do it is “very early before dawn,” before the stress and weight of other commitments compete for our time.

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So, how much time do I spend in prayer each day? Have I tried praying like the Lord, “very early before dawn?”

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If not, then try it tomorrow. Give the Lord the first few minutes of your day and see what happens. It may bear unexpected fruit over time; God is never outdone in generosity.

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Image credits: (1) The Busy Woman (2) Salt Strong (3) The Word for the Day