Although we are a few months away from the legal new year, the days after Labor Day in the United States signal for many of us a new academic year and time of new beginnings. Summer slid by, at least for me, faster than a kid on a water slide and all of sudden I find myself plunging into the depths of another academic year. Today’s Gospel describes how the mother of Peter was cured by Jesus and immediately she slid back into work in the kitchen. So much for a slow recovery. My sympathies always were with that mother-in-law primarily because she was neither named nor wrapped in some wonderful medieval legend served up as an example of Christian virtue. Like Peter’s mother-in-law, we never seem to get enough rest or build up our energies enough to do what we think we need to do. At the beginning of every “new year” my prayer always is to ask for the grace to utilize the energy and abilities that I do have towards what really needs to be done, and what action would promote the greatest glory and honor to God.