Sunday’s gospel is based in a town called Capernaum, on the shores of the Sea of Galilee. Capernaum is a place that appears regularly in the gospels and, today, is referred to as the Hometown of Jesus. In this week’s reading we are watching the beginning of Jesus’ public ministry unfold. 

On this one day Jesus has cast an unclean spirit out of a possessed man in the synagogue, healed Peter’s mother-in-law of a fever and then healed the crowds of people who came to the door. The next morning he announces that they will take the ministry to the whole region of Galilee. In a very simple way, the gospel of Mark has described the growth of Jesus’ ministry from very humble isolated examples to a deliberate reaching out to the people of an entire region.

In the midst of an extremely hectic 24 hours where Jesus effectively launches his public ministry, Jesus takes time to go aside to a lonely place and pray. Jesus provides us with a model of using prayer to reflect on events and to prepare ourselves for the day ahead. Where and when do you find prayer most powerful? How can you better follow Jesus’ example of using prayer in the busy times?