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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. Jesus leaves the synagogue, having just cast out an unclean spirit – his first public miracle in Mark’s Gospel.
“After lunch,” he enters Simon Peter’s home, where he heals Simon’s mother-in-law who is deathly ill. Word then spreads fast enough for crowds to start gathering around him, as the Lord continues his healing work well after sunset.
I’d imagine by the end of the night, he 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. I’d imagine Jesus began each day that way … up early in prayer.
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Prayer is what sustains our spiritual life, too.
And the Lord reminds us the best time to do it is “very early before dawn,” before the stress, the demands, and the weight of other commitments compete for our time. It’s like having a spiritual “cup of coffee.”
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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, try it and see what happens over time.
You’ll discover, as the Lord teaches us, that prayer is our deepest source of strength. A minute with God provides more strength than a day or even a year without him.
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Image credits: (1) Jericho Ridge Community Church (2) Healing Peter’s Mother-in-Law, John Bridges (3) Pinterest