If we are human toeach other, God will work miracles from it
In the few decades of being a priest, I have noticed that the greatest strength of my priesthood is simply being human to others. In the confessional, for example, you do not have to be Padre Pio for miracles to happen.
Usually mother-in-law appears in jokes. You probably know a few of them yourself. It is said that even St. Gregory of Nyssa said that when God has a choice to resurrect the dead or to reconcile mother-in-law with her son-in-law, he prefers to raise the dead. Because it is easier. This time the mother-in-law appears in the Gospel. The biblical apocrypha shows her as a dominant and angry woman. So, for along-time mother-in-law has not had a good reputation.
The aforementioned Gregory of Nyssa considered the healing of Peter's mother-in-law as one of the greatest miracles of Jesus. Well, a mother-in-law who serves her son-in-law could be an event like turning several hundred liters of water into wine during a wedding at Cana in Galilee. In fact, that evening the whole town was standing at the door of Peter's house where Jesus was staying. The news spread around the area that He works miracles.
If the Apocrypha is to be believed, it was actually amazing to Peter, who was watching the whole situation, that Jesus, as the Gospel says, approached his mother-in-law. He walked over, took her hand and picked her up.And a miracle happened. She got up and ministered to them. And this is not a joke.
Imagine Peter could not talk to her, he was out of her way. A sick person can also be irritated. To approach mother-in-law with a fever can be the height of heroism. And Jesus does just that. He took her hand. No, it does not send her any energy. He shows her affection. It was enough for the dominant, angry woman to get up and minister to her son-in-law.
Today Peter looks at Jesus, when He works a miracle, although he does it so humanly, because it is very human to approach someone and take his/her hand. Perhaps, for great miracles to happen around us, you do not need any wonder, but a bit of humanity, human reflexes and tenderness. Maybe people will start to change, we will start to change, the world will start to change when we are just human to each other. Perhaps this is what Jesus taught Peter: you only had to come forward and take your mother-in-law's hand.
Forty years ago, a friend of mine called me for an urgent matter. His stepfather was dying in the hospital. His relatives wanted him to confess and receive the sacrament of the sick. The man, however, did not want to see the priest, he was somehow at odds with the Church. My friend said to me: I do not know what to do. Will you go? – I would go. At most he will chase me out - I replied. On my way to the hospital, I tried to come up with a strategy, but I could not think of anything. When I entered the room, I just walked over, greeted him, sat down on the chair next to the bed and asked, "How are you?" Then I said I am a priest. I did not have to convince him of anything. He received the sacraments.
In the many years of being a priest, I have noticed that the greatest strength of my priesthood is simply in being human to others. You do not need Padre Pio in the confessional to make miracles happen. More miracles happen during this time due to empathy, compassion, kindness, openness than due to some charismatic prayers, which also took place in my priesthood.
I think God has given us a basic instrument for miracles: our humanity. Yes, humanity is wonderful and has God's power in it. If we are human beings, simply good people, He will work miracles out of it.
The story of the healing of Peter's mother-in-law is very close to the first Christian community. The evangelists do not name her; but she was known to everyone. So, at the time of his calling, Peter would have been married. St. Paul suggests that Peter's wife accompanied him on his later apostolic journeys (cf. 1 Cor 9: 5).
Jesus "came up" to the woman. Some pious Jews avoided touching women altogether so as not to lose their ritual purity, unless they could establish what condition they were in (cf. Lev 15:19). Jesus broke the family taboo and by opposing the traditional understanding of impurity, he wanted to confirm human freedom. For Him, man has always been more important than the Law.
When describing the healing of Peter's mother-in-law, the Evangelists use the Greek word "egeirein", (Luke "anastasis"), which means "lifting up", "resurrection". The same word is used in the description of Jesus' resurrection. A mother-in-law who is bedridden with fever is a symbol of helplessness, passivity, lack of life and death. She cannot do anything for herself. She can only wait and suffer. But she can also confidently open herself to Jesus and accept His healing. In his gesture of goodness, Jesus heals her: by resurrecting, by giving new life, by allowing her to return to her everyday life and to the fullness of life.
The healing of Peter’s mother-in-law is also her calling. All Evangelists end her account by saying that she ministers. The word "diakonein" used shows that it is not only about material services. Probably at first it was a modest hospitality of the Capernaum home. The verb "diakonein" (which occurs about a hundred times in the New Testament) indicates a constant ministry. So, it is about following Jesus, serving Him. Simon's mother-in-law became a ministering disciple of Jesus through her healing. As a deaconess, she serves in Peter's house, and therefore at the center of the religious community that Jesus founded. Martha will continue her mission (cf. Lk 10: 38-42). A woman, healed and raised up, truly embodies the Christian community in which one begins to discover the meaning of a mutual service. Shouldn't we also serve one another? (P. Mourlon-Beernaert).
Until Tomorrow
fr. george