Wednesday of the Twenty-SecondWeek in Ordinary Time
Peter’s mother-in-law and grandmother Betta
After he left the synagogue, he entered the house of Simon. Simon’s mother-in-law was afflicted with a severe fever, and they interceded with him about her. He stood over her, rebuked the fever, and it left her. She got up immediately and waited on them. At sunset, all who had people sick with various diseases brought them to him. He laid his hands on each of them and cured them. And demons also came out from many, shouting, “You are the Son of God.” But he rebuked them and did not allow them to speak because they knew that he was the Messiah. At daybreak, Jesus left and went to a deserted place. The crowds went looking for him, and when they came to him, they tried to prevent him from leaving them. But he said to them, “To the other towns also I must proclaim the good news of the kingdom of God, because for this purpose I have been sent.” And he was preaching in the synagogues of Judea. Lk 4,38-44
The mother-in-law of Peter who, being healed, rose up from the bed and prepared the dinner, always remember to our family my grandmother Betta. When being young, she had to fight many diseases. Then, over the years, she had to face the inevitable infirmities of the old age, but each time she recovered her strength and she was quickly in hurry to serve the family. The needs were many and she loved those related to her profession as a seamstress, from clothing to linens; but she was always ready, if necessary, to get busy in the kitchen. She was good with the ladles but, as we recall with nostalgia, she was quite ready to turn them into educational media, beating vigorously the back on the naughty niece of the moment. The mother-in-law of Peter and the grandmother Betta: from the two of them a great lesson on how best to thank the Lord of his own love toward us arrives: to pour it over the others with the concreteness of the small daily gestures. Repetitive and hidden gestures, but especially for this very precious. The people are impressed by the great manifestations of love to the neighbor, followed by recognitions and admiration; but perhaps the daily attention to the one who is closer to us and the effort to renew the daily gestures of love is an even superior good. The true charity is always on, it never stops, it does not need breaks and even it does not want those. As a matter of fact, when we love, there is always something else good and acceptable, which you can do for the other. And if there is not, you can always invent it.