Memorial of St. Gregory the Great, Pope & Doctor of the Church
Luke locates today’s Gospel account at the start of Jesus’ ministry. If you go back to the beginning of Luke 4, it’s quite the whirlwind of experiences! Jesus spends his forty days in the wilderness being tempted by Satan; he proclaims the Isaiah text (61:1-2) that prophesied his Messianic identity and mission in the synagogue in Nazareth, following which he is run out of town by a furious mob; he exorcises a demon in the synagogue in Capernaum; and news spread like wildfire throughout the region as people shared their amazement about his teaching and his miracles. Next, Jesus visits the home of Simon (Peter) at the request of the family. Jesus heals Peter’s mother-in-law, and then proceeds to heal many more people and cast out more demons. Jesus attempts to get away to rest and pray, but the crowds find him and continue to press him for more miracles. If they would have had paparazzi in Jesus’ day, I’m sure they would have been all over it! In the midst of the hectic launch of Jesus’ earthly ministry and his rapid ascent to notoriety, it’s Peter’s mother-in-law’s response that I find the most intriguing.
People known as “miracle workers” were not uncommon at that time. Some were magicians of sorts, and some possibly exercised dark arts in performing what appeared to be miraculous cures or other astonishing feats. So, when the crowds began to experience Jesus’ ministry, I think we can assume that many people were amazed and entertained by what they interpreted to be another side show. The throngs that followed Jesus wanted to see him “do it again!” – it was great entertainment. But Peter’s mother-in-law was different. Our text says, “He (Jesus) stood over her, rebuked the fever, and it left her. She got up immediately and waited on them.” This woman’s immediate and first response to Jesus’ healing touch was to serve. Through her witness, I see her embodying what it means to be a true disciple of Jesus. She experienced the loving compassionate touch of our Lord, recognized the truth of who he was, and responded in service.
Dare I say Peter’s mother-in-law was the first true disciple?? Yes, the twelve apostles and others followed him as disciples and Jesus taught them to serve, but this woman was the first to demonstrate a true disciple’s response to God’s love. The discipleship pathway is simple: we know God’s unconditional love; we receive God’s love poured out into our lives; we extend that love to others by serving them. Peter’s mother-in-law models the way simply and profoundly for us. She received a loving touch from Jesus; she immediately began to serve.
How about you? When you witness the love, power, and presence of God, what is your immediate reaction? Is it to marvel and move on like the crowds in today’s Gospel? Is it to view it with skepticism, perhaps attributing situations to natural phenomena? Is it sometimes selfish, receiving God’s mercy and keeping it to yourself? Is it to fall even more deeply in love with God with a rekindled desire to serve others? I have to ask myself these questions. Let us reflect prayerfully today, asking God to help us become more like Peter’s mother-in-law – grateful for God’s loving touch and quick to serve.
Every Sunday during Mass, we receive the most extraordinary miracle, the deepest most profound expression of God’s love: the Eucharist. We take in God’s love through the very real presence of Christ, his Body and his Blood. The Mass itself models the discipleship pathway: come to know God’s love through the Word, consume God’s unconditional love and grace in the Eucharist, and receive a summons to serve. Ite Missa Est – Go! You are sent forth. Sent forth for what? To love and to serve. Every Mass presents us an opportunity to grow in our discipleship. May the Eucharist motivate us every single time to make service our response to God’s love.
—Elizabeth Wourms