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Things to talk about:

• Share a time when you asked Jesus to help when you or someone you know was sick.
• Discuss the importance of prayer in Jesus’ life and your own.
• Why do you think it was important for Jesus to go and preach in the other villages?
• In this Gospel, Jesus came into the house or “under the roof” of Simon Peter’s House. Fill in the blank with these words: roof, soul, Word, worthy. Lord, I am not _________ that you should enter under my _______, but only say the ______ and my _____ shall be healed. When do we say this response at Mass?

Things to do:

• Jesus heals and takes care of people’s needs today. Take time to pray for the needs of those in your family. Each family member can name one or more persons they want to pray for. Write all the names down and pray the prayer below, inserting the names as indicated. Add the list to your prayer space.
• Pray for those who are sick and on our prayer list. The list is posted weekly in the bulletin.
• Send a card and pray for healing and comfort to someone on the prayer list. Children’s art and drawings always lift the spirits.
• Today, in the city of Capernaum, you can see the excavation site of Simon Peter’s house, the actual site where this Gospel story happened. A large modern church has been built over the site, but visitors can see the first century home through a large glass window in the middle of the church. Click HERE to see.

Closing Prayer

In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Lord Jesus, protect [list of names] physically, spiritually, emotionally, and psychologically this day. Help them to know that they can turn to you for strength and guidance. Keep evil far from them and help them to trust you as their refuge and strength.  Make them strong and courageous in the presence of danger, recognizing that with you they can face any challenge. Take care of them in all the circumstances of their lives. Amen.

Catholic Insights

Mark continues to help us learn more about Jesus’ ministry, his preaching, curing the sick, driving out demons to all he encounters. Jesus’ compassion and healing of the sick is a sign of the Kingdom of God. 

Jesus cures Simon Peter’s mother-in-law and she immediately begins to serve everyone… not just Jesus, but everyone. Jesus also cured many others who were brought to him, healing their illnesses and driving out demons. (Note, they did not use the term “mental illness” in Jesus’ time and there was a different understanding of the nature of illness.) Jesus did not permit the demons to speak because they knew his identity and would have revealed it to those who were present.

After all of this, Jesus retreated in prayer. This demonstrates how much value he placed on this relationship with God, which enabled him to love all people with abandon. When we pray we acknowledge the presence of Jesus in our lives and open ourselves to this same transformative power of love. We also bring our decision making to God in prayer, asking for his guidance and direction in our lives.

The Church continues to extend Christ’s healing presence to others in it’s ministry to the sick. In the Sacrament of the Anointing we pray for spiritual and physical healing, forgiveness of sins and comfort. How do we bring our talents of teaching and healing to others? How many band-aids have you put on others? How many prayers, get well cards, phone calls to those in need do you make?

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Did you know? … that the Sacrament of Anointing of the Sick may be received each time we suffer serious illness, or periodically for those with chronic illness or even old age. God’s  abundant gifts of healing power, physically, spiritually, and mercy are received in this sacrament.