Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Mark 1:29-39

There’s a saying: “A good start is a job half done.” On this first day of Jesus’ public ministry this is not just a good start but also a rousing start. After leaving the synagogue, Jesus entered the house of Simon with Andrew, James and John, his first disciples. And immediately when Jesus saw Simon’s mother-in-law was sick with a fever, Jesus healed her. Living in a rural town, news spreads very quickly and before knowing it, the whole town was in front of Simon’s house. There lay people who were sick and afflicted with evil spirits. Jesus healed them all.

This beginning act of the ministry of Jesus is meant to tell us of his power over evil spirits and disease. The author of life himself has come into the world to bring life. So everything that is contrary to life like sickness and disease is no match for Jesus. Also, he drove out many demons. With this Jesus is saying to us that the power of evil is again no match to the power of good. And those who were able to witness it must have been very pleased for they could see that among them was a very special person.

Then Jesus left, most probably while it was still dark and he prayed alone. Imagine if you were Simon and the other disciples who were still trying to get to know the habits of their master, they must have panicked to realise that he left them in the middle of the night not knowing where he was. Simon must have organised a search party, as he knew that Jesus was not from his town, and the awe, shock and the relief when they saw him praying in a deserted place. And when Simon told him that the whole town was looking for him, Jesus told him that they must go to the nearby villages so that he may preach in there too.

By this example of Jesus, he showed his disciples even at this very early stage of his ministry, that we should also set aside a time to pray and connect to our Heavenly Father. In the life of a Christian, prayer is not only important but it is essential. There are various religious orders that are dedicated to prayer by living in a cloister and praying in front of the Blessed Sacrament 24/7 like the Adoration Sisters also known as the Pink Sisters. There are also religious orders whose motto is “Ora et Labora” (work and prayer) like the Benedictines, whose life living in a monastery is divided by working through the day and saying the Liturgy of the Hours seven times a day. And there are so-called active religious congregations like the Divine Word Missionaries or the SVD; whose life is mainly working with the people to proclaim the good news of Christ. Nevertheless, prayer still remains an important part of daily life. Jesus in this episode is telling us that even if we are engrossed with what we are doing in our daily life, we must never forget to connect with the source of life, and that is our heavenly Father, through prayer.

Another point in the gospel for today is the nature of the mission of Jesus. Very early in his ministry, he indicated to everybody his desire to reach as many people as possible. He knew that the purpose of his mission was to travel and preach to as many villages as he can. He knew that there must be in any circumstance things that would delay or allow him to get stuck in a place. This message of Jesus is most appropriate for us missionaries, whose inspiration is the example of Jesus himself. That as missionaries, we should always be on the move like Jesus. It is always tempting that we stay in one place especially if we have developed friendships with the people we serve or if we have become comfortable in the work that we do. The mission of Jesus is a constant reminder for us to continue moving so that we maybe able to spread the gospel as far as we can.

The beginning of the ministry of Jesus is important because it sets the tone on how Jesus would conduct his ministry in the next three years before he accepts his fate of suffering and dying on the cross for us. This also guides us in how to conduct our lives as Christians, that we should, like Jesus, always connect to the Father through prayer and always bear in mind that in whatever we do, we must be able to spread the good news of Jesus to everyone that we meet. 

Today in Australia is Sunday of the Word of God. May today inspire us to listen more to the Word of God as proclaimed at every Mass. Also, may we read the Word of God in the Bible as much as we can. It is in knowing the Word of God and through prayer that we can know Jesus much better.