near the town of Canton, Pa. Picture by John Ciribassi
Our blog is inspired by the Holy Spirit.
On leaving the synagogue
Jesus entered the house of Simon and Andrew with James and John.
Simon’s mother-in-law lay sick with a fever.
They immediately told him about her.
He approached, grasped her hand, and helped her up.
Then the fever left her and she waited on them.
When it was evening, after sunset,
they brought to him all who were ill or possessed by demons.
The whole town was gathered at the door.
He cured many who were sick with various diseases,
and he drove out many demons,
not permitting them to speak because they knew him.
Rising very early before dawn,
he left and went off to a deserted place, where he prayed.
Simon and those who were with him pursued him
and on finding him said, “Everyone is looking for you.”
He told them, “Let us go on to the nearby villages
that I may preach there also.
For this purpose have I come.”
So he went into their synagogues, preaching and driving out demons
throughout the whole of Galilee. Emphasis mine Mark 1:29-39
Then the fever left her and she waited on them, has always been a quote that left me amazed and wishing Mark had provided more information.
Mark didn’t!
All he said was, Then the fever left her and she waited on them.
And as we type this blog, this is all we need to know.
But,
I still yearn for more information about her healing.
I would have loved more meat on the bones in the Bible.
Learning more is what has attracted me to The Chosen. The Chosen sets the story up with Peter in the countryside following Jesus. Jesus knows Peter’s mother-in-law is sick and Peter is concerned.
Jesus sends Peter back to help his wife.
When Peter arrives, she is even sicker than when Peter left.
What else would you expect?
A few days later, Jesus comes into the house, and Peter doesn’t want to bother Jesus about his sick Mother-in-law.
By the way, is this also true with you?
Do you have some small or big illness or pains but don’t want to bother Jesus, your BROTHER WHO HEALS, with your problem?
After the initial greetings with Peter’s wife, Jesus asks to see Peter’s mother-in-law, lays His hands on her, and she is healed.
Now the part of the story I just love.
She sits bolt upright in bed, looks at Jesus, and say’s, “Who are you?”
This line may also apply to many of us. I know it did for me when I was younger, and I didn’t believe in healing. I would be healed, and who would I credit, the doctor, the medication, or good luck?
Luck never works!
Never forget, as I did for far too many years, the doctor and the medication only work if God is involved.
As was true with this story in The Chosen, Peter didn’t ask for the healing of his mother-in-law. Peter’s wife didn’t ask for a healing for her mother, Peter’s mother-in-law didn’t know Jesus and was too sick, so she didn’t ask for a healing.
But,
She was healed!
God will work in our lives even if we don’t ask God for help. The challenge for us is to start to recognize God as active in our lives and find the Joy of creating or building on our relationship, so you can get up and wait on them.
“The nine” We pray you will grow in the Love, Joy, and Peace of the Holy Spirit by growing in Patience, Kindness, Generosity, Faithfulness, Gentleness, and Self-Control.
Sidebar:
Season three of The Chosen started four weeks ago. A lot has happened.
Briefly:
Over Four Hundred and Forty MILLION people have watched this series.
That has encouraged whales, people with lots of money, to start helping finance this series.
Angel Studios used part of their money to build their own sets on land they bought in Texas.
Catholic T.V. shows each episode with a short discussion at the end of the episode.
Catholic T.V. hosting The Chosen is interesting because the series is written by Evangelicals and reviewed by a Jewish Rabbi, a Catholic Priest, and a Protestant Minister.
Every effort is being made to make this as accurate to the Biblical telling of the story as possible at the time of Jesus.
Why am I so fascinated with The Chosen?
Because I find the Bible opening up to me as never before.
The show puts me in the time of Jesus and shows the problem ALL of the Disciples had with His, Jesus’, ministry.
Jesus came to change the “world,” NOT embrace it.
Jesus came to establish a new world, “The Spirit World,” which he did, and this type of change is not easy for anyone. The difficulty of change is clearly shown with Mary, His mother, and His Disciples.
They have done a fantastic job of portraying Mary as the Mother of God.
She is human!
Her reflection of the birth of Jesus is not Catholic thought but a beautiful sentiment, and her taking care of Jesus after a day of His healing many people showed her deep love for Him.
In my early life, I believed Mary always knew what Jesus was about and ignored the fact that she had to adapt to the idea that Jesus was not the conquering hero she may have expected when she was asked to be the mother of God, but a conquering God in a way no one expected.
An example;
His mother and his brothers arrived. Standing outside they sent word to him and called him. A crowd seated around him told him, “Your mother and your brothers [and your sisters] are outside asking for you.” But he said to them in reply, “Who are my mother and [my] brothers?” And looking around at those seated in the circle he said, “Here are my mother and my brothers. [For] whoever does the will of God is my brother and sister and mother.” Emphasis mine Mark 3:32-35
By the way, that’s you and me.
At Mass one day, Msgr. Henchal explained that Mary and Jesus’ brothers and sisters came to bring Jesus home because they felt He was off the reservation.
The above scene has yet to be on The Chosen.
I can’t wait to see it when it is.
I have and had many of the same problems as Mary and His Disciples, so it’s nice to know I am not alone or unique. The Chosen helped me understand what was being asked of the disciples and how they reacted to the request. The Chosen has shown me that the Disciples and ALL of those around Jesus had issues, so if you have problems, rejoice; you are on the right track.
If you are not watching The Chosen and want to start, along with Catholic T.V., you can also see the first two years on Prime T.V. for free if you are a Prime member.
Start with Season 1 and go through all eight episodes, then do the same for season 2.
Seasons 1 & 2 build the characters you will see for the next five years.
If you haven’t watched The Chosen, you might consider Binge watching the first two years.
Ask your children; they will enjoy it also. What a great way to start a conversation with them about God.
What a great way to start 2023!
If you have a smart T.V. and need help getting The Chosen, this web page might help.
www.angel.com/blog/angel-studios/posts/how-to-watch-on-your-tv-from-angel-studios-website
I also discovered a web page, Holy Spirit, that I pull up on my laptop and then show on my T.V. by attaching a cable. I like this page even more; it’s easy to set up.
www.angel.com/watch/the-chosen
Click on this page, scroll down to the season, and choose the season and then the episode you want.
The great part of this web page is that you can stop the episode at any time, discuss it, and restart it where you left off. We have used this web page in a small group I am in, which has helped broaden our discussions.
Of the choices for viewing The Chosen, the above option, www.angel.com/watch/the-chosen, is the easiest.
Picture:
The picture was taken in Lycoming County, Pennsylvania, near the town of Proctor. The bridge goes over Bear Creek, a tributary of Loyalsock Creek. The bridge leads from Dunwoody Rd, over Bear Creek, to a private home. Picture by John Ciribassi.
John Ciribassi writes the Saturday Blog for A Catholic Moment.
Just because we have several pictures doesn’t let you off the hook.
Please keep Snapping!
Remember, if you want to submit a picture, no people, please, because we have to get permission from that person to use their photograph; in the comments section at the bottom of our blog, tell me you want to submit a picture, and I will send you my email address in our reply on Thursday.
