Gospel (Mk 1,29-39) - At that time, Jesus left the synagogue and immediately went to the house of Simon and Andrew, in the company of James and John. Simone's mother-in-law was in bed with her fever and they immediately told him about her. He, approaching her, lifted her up, taking her by the hand; the fever left her and she began to serve them. When evening came, after the sun set, they brought him all the sick and possessed. The whole city was gathered in front of the door. He healed many who were afflicted with various diseases and cast out many demons; but he did not allow the demons to speak, because they knew him. In the morning he got up while it was still dark and, leaving the house, he withdrew to a deserted place and prayed there. But Simon and those who were with him set out on his trail and, having found him, they said to him: "Everyone is looking for you!". He said to them: “Let us go elsewhere to the nearby villages, so that I can preach there too; for this in fact I came!”. And he went throughout all Galilee, preaching in their synagogues and casting out demons.

The commentary on the Gospel by Monsignor Vincenzo Paglia

The Gospel describes Jesus' intense activity in Capernaum over two consecutive days. Mark introduces him to us as he enters the house in Capernaum. They immediately introduce him to Pietro's elderly mother-in-law who is lying in bed with a fever. Jesus approaches her, takes her by the hand and makes her get up from her bed, having recovered. The old woman immediately starts serving them. It's not magic: Jesus took that weakened old woman by her hand and lifted her up, giving her strength back. This is how he stays close to the elderly. The healing of Pietro's elderly mother-in-law is a lesson that our families still need to learn today. The evangelist then goes on to describe a moving scene: "all the sick and demoniacs" of the city gather in front of the door of that house: "The whole city was gathered in front of the door". It is a scene that questions our Christian communities, our churches and even our hearts. Isn't it against the Gospel to remove from our churches (and from our hearts) the poor, the foreigners, the Roma, the many refugees rejected at the borders of our countries? Jesus went out from the door of the house and "healed many". Marco does not write that he healed everyone, but many, as if to underline that the wound of the many sick people who we are unable to help remains open. Once the evening and night had passed, Jesus got up early in the morning and went to a secluded place to pray. He begins the day with prayer, in a secluded, intimate place, away from the crowd and confusion. It is in silence that he meets his Father who is in heaven. For Jesus, prayer is not just the temporal beginning of the day: it is its foundation. And when the disciples turn their minds and hearts to God, the new time announced by the Gospel begins. Standing before the Lord in prayer, like children who expect everything from him, means starting a new way of living: doing not our will - as each of us generally continues to do - but that of the Father. And the Father wants all men to be saved. For this reason, to the disciples who wanted to keep him in the area, Jesus replies that we must broaden our hearts to the ends of the earth.