FROM THE SYNAGOGUE TO THE CHURCH

V SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME - Mark 1:29-39

On the Sabbath, like any other Jew, Jesus used to go to the synagogue. There, he read from the Scriptures, shared the Word of God and proclaimed the Good News of the Kingdom of Heaven. Jesus was a committed member of the community, in which he assumed a leading role. However, the synagogue community was going to give place to the Church community. In a way, that is well expressed in Mark's chapter one. Jesus began his ministry with a public proclamation. Then, he called his first disciples and moved to Capernaum. On the Sabbath, he went to the synagogue and there he set free a man who was possessed by evil spirits. It is as if Jesus came to dispel the darkness found in the synagogue. From there, with James and John, Jesus went straight to the house of Simon and Andrew. It was the new community centred on the family and not on the synagogue. In this new community, we find human beings touched by weakness and shortcomings. That is the case of Simon’s mother-in-law, who needs Jesus to take her by the hand to raise her. We have fallen and need Jesus to renew us so that we may serve as she did. There and then, Simon’s house became the centre of attention and the point of reference. Crowding around the door, we have an injured humanity in need of healing and salvation. 

In an instant, Jesus became famous and everybody was looking for him. However, Jesus refused to take advantage of this fame. Early in the morning, “he got up and left the house, and went off to a lonely place and prayed there.” To have long and intense periods of prayer was the antidote to any human desire for fame and popularity. When, after a search, the disciples found him, Jesus made it clear that he was not interested in being surrounded by crowds that looked to him as a healer. He came to preach, calling people to repentance. “And he went all through Galilee, preaching in their synagogues and casting out devils.” To a world dominated by the power of evil Jesus brings the Good News of salvation, destroying that power and establishing a new community  - the community of disciples, ready to serve. It is not surprising that, since its beginnings, the Church has cared for the well-being of people, as she proclaims the Good News of Jesus Christ. In Jerusalem, the first Christian community cared for the widows and through the centuries, the Church has always paid attention to the poor and the sick, getting involved in schools and health services. Only whole people can manifest the glory of God.