Navarre Bible Commentary:5th Sunday in Ordinary Time

The Healing of Peter's Mother in Law, James Tissot

Mark 1:29–39

And immediately he left the synagogue, and entered the house of Simon and Andrew, with James and John. Now Simon’s mother-in-law lay sick with a fever, and immediately they told him of her. And he came and took her by the hand and lifted her up, and the fever left her; and she served them.

That evening, at sundown, they brought to him all who were sick or possessed with demons. And the whole city was gathered together about the door. And he healed many who were sick with various diseases, and cast out many demons; and he would not permit the demons to speak, because they knew him.  

And in the morning, a great while before day, he rose and went out to a lonely place, and there he prayed. And Simon and those who were with him pursued him, and they found him and said to him, “Every one is searching for you.” And he said to them, “Let us go on to the next towns, that I may preach there also; for that is why I came out.” And he went throughout all Galilee, preaching in their synagogues and casting out demons.   

Catholic Exegesis:

The Second Vatican Council teaches  that if we are to derive the true meaning from the sacred texts,  attention must be devoted “not only to their content but to the unity of the whole of Scripture, the living tradition of the entire Church, and the analogy of faith. […] Everything to do with the interpretation of Scripture is ultimately subject to the judgment of the Church, which exercises the divinely conferred communion and ministry of watching over and interpreting the Word of God” (Dei Verbum, 12).

St. John Paul II, when he promulgated the Catechism of the Catholic Church,  explained that the Catechism "is a statement of the Church's faith and of catholic doctrine, attested to or illumined by Sacred Scripture, the Apostolic Tradition and the Church's Magisterium."  He went on to "declare it to be a sure norm for teaching the faith and thus a valid and legitimate instrument for ecclesial communion" (Fidei Depositum).

Cited in the Catechism:

Passages from this Gospel reading are cited in the Catechism, paragraph 2602.

Commentary:

Jesus cures many sick people

1:34. Demons possess a supernatural type of knowledge and therefore they recognize Jesus as the Messiah (Mk 1:24). Through the people they possess they are able to publish this fact. But our Lord, using his divine powers, orders them to be silent. On other occasions he also silences his disciples (Mk 8:30; 9:9), and he instructs people whom he has cured not to talk about their cure (Mk 1:4; 5:43; 7:36; 8:26). He may have acted in this way to educate the people away from a too human and political idea of the Messiah (cf. the note on Mt 9:30). Therefore, he first awakens their interest by performing miracles and gradually, through his preaching, gives them a clearer understanding of the kind of Messiah he is.

Some Fathers of the Church point out that Jesus does not want to accept, in support of the truth, the testimony of him who is the father of lies. Cf. the note on Jn 8:44.

Jesus goes to a lonely place to pray

1:35. Many passages of the New Testament make reference to Jesus praying. The evangelists point to him praying only on specially important occasions during his public ministry: Baptism (Lk 3:1), the choosing of the Twelve (Lk 6:12), the first multiplication of the loaves (Mk 6:46), the transfiguration (Lk 9:29), in the garden of Gethsemane prior to his passion (Mt 26:39), etc. St Mark, for his part, refers to Jesus’ prayer at three solemn moments: at the beginning of his public ministry (1:35), in the middle of it (6:46), and at the end, in Gethsemane (14:32).

Jesus’ prayer is prayer of perfect praise to the Father; it is prayer of petition for himself and for us; and it is also a model for his disciples. It is a prayer of perfect praise and thanksgiving because he is God’s beloved Son in whom the Father is well pleased (cf. Mk 1:11). It is a prayer of petition because the first spontaneous movement of a soul who recognizes God as Father is to ask him for things. Jesus’ prayer, as we see in very many Gospel passages (e.g., Jn 17:9ff) was a continuous petition to the Father for the work of redemption which he, Jesus, had to achieve through prayer and sacrifice (cf. the notes on Mk 14:32–42 and Mt 7:7–11).

Our Lord wants to give us an example of the kind of attitude a Christian should have: he should make a habit of addressing God as son to Father in the midst of and through his everyday activities—work, family life, personal relationships, apostolate—so as to give his life a genuinely Christian meaning, for, as Jesus will point out later on, “apart from me you can do nothing” (Jn 15:5).

“You write: ‘To pray is to talk with God. But about what?’ About what? About him, about yourself: joys, sorrows, successes and failures, noble ambitions, daily worries, weaknesses! And acts of thanksgiving and petitions and love and reparation. In a word: to get to know him and to get to know yourself: ‘to get acquainted!’ ” (St Josemaría Escrivá, The Way, 91; cf. the notes on Mt 6:5–6; 7:11; and 14:22–23).

1:38. Jesus tells us here that his mission is to preach, to spread the Good News. He was sent for this purpose (cf. also Lk 4:43). The apostles, in turn, were chosen by Jesus to be preachers (Mk 3:14; 16:15). Preaching is the method selected by God to effect salvation: “it pleased God through the folly of what we preach to save those who believe” (1 Cor 1:21). This is why St Paul says to Timothy: “Preach the word, be urgent in season and out of season, convince, rebuke, and exhort, be unfailing in patience and teaching” (2 Tim 4:1–2). Faith comes from hearing, we are told in Romans 10:17, where St Paul enthusiastically quotes Isaiah: “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach good news!” (Rom 10:15; Is 52:7).

The Church identifies preaching the Gospel as one of the main tasks of bishops and priests. St Pius X went so far as saying that “for a priest there is no duty more grave or obligation more binding (to dispel ignorance)” (Acerbo nimis). In this connexion Vatican II states: “The people of God is formed into one in the first place by the Word of the living God (cf. 1 Pet 1:23; Acts 6:7; 12:24), which is quite rightly sought from the mouths of priests (cf. 2 Cor 11:7). For since nobody can be saved who has not first believed (Mk 16:16), it is the first task of priests as co-workers of the bishops to preach the Gospel of God to all men (cf. 2 Cor 11:7). In this way they carry out the Lord’s command ‘Go into all the world and preach the Gospel to every creature’ (Mk 16:15) (cf. Mal 2:7; 1 Tim 4:11–13; etc.) and thus set up and increase the people of God” (Presbyterorum ordinis, 4).

Jesus’ preaching is not just limited to words: he backs up his teaching with his authority and with deeds. The Church also has been sent to preach salvation and to effect the work of salvation which it proclaims—a work done through the sacraments and especially through the renewal of the sacrifice of Calvary in the Mass (cf. Vatican II, Sacrosanctum Concilium, 6).

In the Church of God all of us should listen devoutly to the preaching of the Gospel and we all should feel a responsibility to spread the Gospel by our words and actions. It is the responsibility of the hierarchy of the Church to teach the Gospel authentically—on the authority of Christ.

Source: The Navarre Bible: Text and Commentaries. Biblical text from the Revised Standard Version and New Vulgate. Commentaries by members of the Faculty of Theology, University of Navarre, Spain.

Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock, Co. Dublin, Ireland, and by Scepter Publishers in the United States. We encourage readers to purchase The Navarre Bible for personal study. See Scepter Publishers for details.

"Ignorance of Scripture is ignorance of Christ." St Jerome

Navarre Bible Commentary:Wednesday, 22nd Week in Ordinary Time

Luke 4:38–44

38 And he arose and left the synagogue, and entered Simon’s house. Now Simon’s mother-in-law was ill with a high fever, and they besought him for her. 39 And he stood over her and rebuked the fever, and it left her; and immediately she rose and served them.

40 Now when the sun was setting, all those who had any that were sick with various diseases brought them to him; and he laid his hands on every one of them and healed them. 41 And demons also came out of many, crying, “You are the Son of God!” But he rebuked them, and would not allow them to speak, because they knew that he was the Christ.

42 And when it was day he departed and went into a lonely place. And the people sought him and came to him, and would have kept him from leaving them; 43 but he said to them, “I must preach the good news of the kingdom of God to the other cities also; for I was sent for this purpose.” 44 And he was preaching in the synagogues of Judea.

Catholic Exegesis:

The Second Vatican Council teaches  that if we are to derive the true meaning from the sacred texts,  attention must be devoted “not only to their content but to the unity of the whole of Scripture, the living tradition of the entire Church, and the analogy of faith. […] Everything to do with the interpretation of Scripture is ultimately subject to the judgment of the Church, which exercises the divinely conferred communion and ministry of watching over and interpreting the Word of God” (Dei Verbum, 12).

St. John Paul II, when he promulgated the Catechism of the Catholic Church,  explained that the Catechism "is a statement of the Church's faith and of catholic doctrine, attested to or illumined by Sacred Scripture, the Apostolic Tradition and the Church's Magisterium."  He went on to "declare it to be a sure norm for teaching the faith and thus a valid and legitimate instrument for ecclesial communion" (Fidei Depositum).

Cited in the Catechism:

Passages from this Gospel reading are not cited in the Catechism.

Commentary:

Curing of Peter’s mother-in-law

4:38–39. In the public life of Jesus we find many touching episodes (cf. e.g. Lk 19:1ff; Jn 2:1ff) which show the high regard he had for everyday family life.

Here we can clearly see the effectiveness of prayer on behalf of other people: “No sooner did they pray to the Saviour”, St Jerome says, “than he immediately healed the sick; from this we learn that he also listens to the prayers of the faithful for help against sinful passions” (Expositio in Evangelium sec. Lucam, in loc.).

St John Chrysostom refers to this total, instantaneous cure: “Since this was a curable type of illness he displayed his power through the way he brought healing, doing what medicine could not do. Even after being cured of fever, patients need time to recover their former strength, but here the cure was instantaneous” (Hom. on St Matthew, 27).

The Fathers saw in this lady’s fever a symbol of concupiscence: “Peter’s mother-in-law’s fever represents our flesh affected by various illnesses and concupiscences; our fever is passion, our fever is lust, our fever is anger—vices which, although they affect the body, perturb the soul, the mind and the feelings” (St Ambrose, Expositio evangelii sec. Lucam, in loc.).

On the practical consequences of this St Cyril says: “Let us receive Jesus Christ, because when he visits us and we take him into our minds and hearts, even our worst passions are extinguished and we are kept safe to serve him, that is, to do what pleases him” (Hom. 28 in Mattheum).

Jesus preaches in other cities in Judea

4:43. Our Lord again stresses one of the reasons why he has come into the world. St Thomas, when discussing the purpose of the Eucharist, says that Christ “came into the world, first, to make the truth known, as he himself says: ‘for this I was born, and for this I have come into the world, to bear witness to the truth’ (Jn 18:37). Hence it was not fitting that he should hide himself by leading a solitary life, but rather that he should appear openly and preach in public. For this reason he tells those who wanted to detain him, ‘I must preach the good news of the kingdom of God to the other cities also; for I was sent for this purpose.’ Secondly, he came in order to free men from sin; as the apostle says, ‘Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners’ (1 Tim 1:15). This is why Chrysostom says, ‘Although Christ might, while staying in the same place, have drawn all men to himself to hear his preaching, he did not do so—in order to give us the example to go out and seek the lost sheep, as the shepherd does, or as the doctor does, who visits the sick person.’ Thirdly, he came so that ‘we might obtain access to God’ (Rom 5:2)” (Summa theologiae, 3, 40, 1, c.).

Source: The Navarre Bible: Text and Commentaries. Biblical text from the Revised Standard Version and New Vulgate. Commentaries by members of the Faculty of Theology, University of Navarre, Spain.

Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock, Co. Dublin, Ireland, and by Scepter Publishers in the United States. We encourage readers to purchase The Navarre Bible for personal study. See Scepter Publishers for details.

"Ignorance of Scripture is ignorance of Christ." St Jerome  

Navarre Bible Commentary:Wednesday, 22nd Week in Ordinary

Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam 
Wednesday, September 4, 2013
22nd Week in Ordinary Time

Luke 4:38-44

The Cure of Peter's Mother-In-Law
[38] And He (Jesus) arose and left the synagogue, and entered Simon's house. Now Simon's mother-in-law was ill with a high fever, and they besought Him for her. [39] And He stood over her and rebuked the fever, and it left her; and immediately she rose and served them.

Other Cures
[40] Now when the sun was setting, all those who had any that were sick with various diseases brought them to Him; and He laid His hands on every one of them and healed them. [41] And demons also came out of many, crying, "You are the Son of God!" But He rebuked them, and would not allow them to speak, because they knew that He was the Christ.

Jesus Preaches in Other Cities in Judea
[42] And when it was day He departed and went into a lonely place. And the peo- ple sought Him and came to Him, and would have kept Him from leaving them; [43] but He said to them, "I must preach the Good News of the Kingdom of God to the other cities also; for I was sent for this purpose." [44] And He was preaching in the synagogues of Judea.

Commentary:
38-39. In the public life of Jesus we find many touching episodes (cf. for example Luke 19:1; John 2:1) which show the high regard He had for everyday family life.

Here we can clearly see the effectiveness of prayer on behalf of other people: "No sooner did they pray to the Savior", St. Jerome says, "than He immediately healed the sick; from this we learn that He also listens to the prayers of the faith- ful for help against sinful passions" (Expositio In Evangelium Sec. Lucam, in loc.).

St. John Chrysostom refers to this total, instantaneous cure: "Since this was a curable type of illness He displayed His power through the way He brought healing, doing what medicine could not do. Even after being cured of fever, patients need time to recover their former strength, but here the cure was instantaneous" (Hom. on St. Matthew, 27).

The Fathers saw in this lady's fever a symbol of concupiscence: "Peter's mother- in-law's fever represents our flesh affected by various illnesses and concupiscences; our fever is passion, our fever is lust, our fever is anger -- vices which, al- though they affect the body, perturb the soul, the mind and the feelings" (St. Ambrose, Expositio Evangelii Sec. Lucam, in loc.).

On the practical consequences of this St. Cyril says: "Let us receive Jesus Christ, because when He visits us and we take Him into our minds and hearts, even our worst passions are extinguished and we are kept safe to serve Him, that is, to do what pleases Him" (Hom. 28 In Mattheum).

43. Our Lord again stresses one of the reasons why He has come into the world. St. Thomas, when discussing the purpose of the Eucharist, says that Christ "came into the world, first, to make the truth known, as He Himself says: 'for this I was born, and for this I have come into the world, to bear witness to the truth' (John 18:37). Hence it was not fitting that He should hide Himself by leading a solitary life, but rather that He should appear openly and preach in public. For this reason He tells those who wanted to detain Him, 'I must preach the Good News of the Kingdom of God to the other cities also; for I was sent for this purpose.' Secondly, He came in order to free men from sin; as the Apostle says, 'Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners' (1 Timothy 1:15). This is why Chrysostom says, 'Although Christ might, while staying in the same place, have drawn all men to Himself to hear His preaching, He did not do so--in order to give us the example to go out and seek the lost sheep, as the shepherd does, or as the doctor does, who visits the sick person.' Thirdly, He came so that 'we might obtain access to God' (Romans 5:2)" (Summa Theologiae, III, q. 40, a. 1, c.).

Source: The Navarre Bible: Text and Commentaries. Biblical text from the Revised Standard Version and New Vulgate. Commentaries by members of the Faculty of Theology, University of Navarre, Spain.

Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock, Co. Dublin, Ireland, and by Scepter Publishers in the United States. We encourage readers to purchase The Navarre Bible for personal study. See Scepter Publishers for details.

"Ignorance of Scripture is ignorance of Christ." -- St Jerome