Friends and God's Love
31 So he went to her, took her hand and helped her up. The fever left her and she began to wait on them.
32 That evening after sunset the people brought to Jesus all the sick and those with unclean spirits.
So often in relating an event what is not said is as important as what is said. As I read the above lines of last Sunday’s Gospel I imagined how the time between the healing of Simon’s mother-in-law and Jesus healing after sunset was spent.
I imagined that Jesus went to Simon’s home, midday on Saturday (the sabbath), after the synagogue that morning. Since they were in Capernaum, a fishing village, I imagined that Simon’s mother-in-law ‘waited on them’ by cooking a refreshing fish broth followed by roasted fish with something like a sada roti (pita bread).
Jesus must have spent the afternoon eating, chatting, having a glass or two of wine and building a relationship with Simon and his companions. After, he may have taken an afternoon nap and awoke refreshed for his healing ministry after sunset that evening.
Campanionship, friendship and building relationships is so often under-rated in all leadership and particularly leadership in ministry. Jesus provides us with a good balance between casting out unclean spirits, healing the sick and building relationships.
Pope Francis has said ‘The Kingdom of God, will be manifested in our world in the measure in which society is filled with “fraternity, justice, peace, and dignity for all.’ He has gone on to say ‘….the Social Doctrine of the Church is … deeply rooted in theology—in “God’s love for humanity and His plan of love and fraternity”.
At the heart of fraternity is human relationships that are healed of selfishness and violence, and are founded on mutual love, welcoming, and solidarity. We cannot build fraternity without spending time in dialogue and conversation. As we go about our ministry let us not forget to spend time building relationships with each other including having a glass of wine. Jesus placed so much emphasis on this that he left us the example of the ‘Last Supper’.
