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5th Sunday in Ordinary Time Year B - 8/2/2015 - Gospel: Mk 1: 29-39
The healing power
Jesus brings so much hope and consolation and joy to those who are fortunate to met Him through His ministry of healings that are recorded in St. Mark's Gospel. Simon Peter's mother in law was in bed with a fever and they told Jesus about it.

'Jesus took her by the hand and helped her up and the fever left her and she began to wait on them'.  V.30

That evening, after sunset Jesus healed, 'many who were suffering from diseases of one kind or another, He also casts out many devils'. The healing that Jesus gave not only freed them from their illness but they gained more strength and confidence and it was as if they had never had such an experience. It manifested through the bedridden man carried by four men. After the healing he needed no rehabilitation because he regained his strength and felt well enough to carry his own bed. He felt as if he had an overflow well of strength in store from inside. The cure Jesus gave healed the person as a whole giving them both new strength and new spirit. They became a new person from inside out and people who saw them before could recognize the change in them.

Straightaway after being healed Simon Peter's mother-in-law was able to show hospitality to Jesus in her home. She was the first woman in Mark's gospel who exercised the call of discipleship - giving service to others. We know that some forms of sickness stop us from living our life to the full. We are unable to earn money for a living and also unable to do our daily chores. The healing Jesus gave which was total and it gave back to us our social activity and brought us back to an active life of service. The healing Jesus gave which was not just about physical strength gained but it was more about reconnecting us to the life of faith in Him and our community of faith.

It was in His habit that after a heavy day work early next morning Jesus entered into "wilderness". He began a new day with consultation to the Father. It was the prayer form of His contemplation to God in his ministry. We recall that before the public ministry Jesus has spent a long time in the desert and from time to time in his ministry Jesus returned to the wilderness of his own choice to ponder on the relationship with the Father, to reflect upon the next move of His mission to save and to move forwards in healing and preaching. God's healing power restores us not only to health but to active service and care of others.

Jesus has revealed the new way of establishing the kingdom of God - the non violent approached. World' leaders rely on forces and warfare power to win over their enemies, Jesus however restores peace through healing and compassion and forgiveness. He showed them the power of compassion and love that win hearts and souls, not warfare weapons.

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