November 7, 2010 – Mark 1 - 1:31

We begin our second Gospel, the shortest one.  Mark begins on the very verge of Jesus’ ministry.  It starts with John the Baptist, then Christ Baptism, John’s arrest, Jesus in the desert, calling the first Apostles, Healing on the Sabbath, and healing Peter’s mother-in-law.  Pretty jammed packed for 31 verses.  I guess the thing that sticks out to me is the Peter had a mother-in-law.  This means that Peter had a wife.  There is nothing written about her in the scriptures, but I heard that it is believed that she was martyred around the same time as St. Peter in Rome.  I found this segment in a writing,  The Stromata (Book VII) by Clement of Alexandria (150-215).

“They say, accordingly, that the blessed Peter, on seeing his wife led to death, rejoiced on account of her call and conveyance home, and called very encouragingly and comfortingly, addressing her by name, "Remember thou the Lord." Such was the marriage of the blessed and their perfect disposition towards those dearest to them.”