St. Thomas the Apostle Parish
Pastor: Father John Lyons
Preparing for Sunday
Finding Intimacy with God, in everyday life
February 1, 2015
4th Sunday of Ordinary Time
Deuteronomy 18:15-20; Ps 95:1-2,6-7,7-9; 1 Corinthians 7:32-35; Mark 1:21-28
Very Rev. Joseph A. Pellegrino
Help us, Lord, to notice how you are speaking to us. Open our hearts and minds to
new insights. Grant us the wisdom and humility to recognize your presence in our
brothers and sisters. Help us to learn from each other and from You in this time
together Amen.
Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time: Teaching with Authority
It is said that the following incident took place off of Massachusetts back in the early 50's. It
was a stormy night at sea and a large battleship saw a light in the distance. The light was directly on
the ship’s course. The captain of the ship was alerted and had a radio message sent out: “Light up
ahead, bear ten degrees south.” The captain received the reply, "Sir, you must bear ten degrees North."
The captain grew furious and got onto the radio himself and yelled, "I am Captain James Smith, that’s
captain in the United States Navy. Whoever you are, I am ordering you to bear ten degrees south.
Who are you, and what is your rank?" He heard the feeble answer, "This is Seaman First Class
Howard Scott, Sir, and you must bear ten degrees north." The captain barked out, “I am on the bridge
of the Battleship USS New Jersey, and I am telling you to bear ten degrees south." Then he heard the
reply, "But, Sir, I am in the Baker’s Island Light House, and you had better bear ten degrees North."
A statement carries authority according to two aspects: who is speaking and what is being said.
The captain had authority due to his rank. The seaman had authority due to what was said. Jesus had
both. Jesus spoke with authority. What He said was true. He also had authority because of Who He
was. He was the Son of God, the Messiah of God, and the Eternal One who became man on Christmas.
He said, “Love your enemies. Be kind to one another.” On the cross he called to his Father for
forgiveness for those who tortured and killed him. He himself was a kind, loving person. He spoke
about God's kingdom and lived as the ideal member of that kingdom. He had authority, and He has
authority. We need to listen and follow.
He calls us to speak for Him. He gives us authority. For us to exercise this authority both our
words need to be true and we must live as committed Christians.
Many times our papers report religious scandals. Charismatic TV preachers, Roman Catholic
bishops and priests, caught acting in the immoral ways. The message that they had been delivering
from their pulpits for years was true. Many people were moved to come closer to God. Many people
confronted their own demons and took steps to draw closer to Christ. But then the scandal hit the
papers. The message of the preacher that had moved them was still true, but now it has lost much of its
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impact. The one who delivered it was not true to his own words.
authority was terribly damaged if not totally destroyed.
As a result his credibility, his
You can certainly see how this can happen in your home. Parents have authority due to their
position in the family. God tells children to honor their mothers and fathers. That’s the Fourth
Commandment. But the authority of parents is diminished or even destroyed when the parents act in
ways that are not Christian. For example, all parents want their children to be kind to each other. But if
their children observe Mom and Dad being nasty to each other, the children are going to learn
nastiness, not kindness, as standard way of acting. When these same parents say to their children that
they should be kind to each other, the children respond with their actions as though their parents no
longer have authority to tell them how to behave.
That’s negative. Let’s look at the positive. Many of our seniors have spent years taking care of
their sick spouses. Retirement was not what they expected. Instead of going and doing, their days
were spent caring and cleaning, and organizing doctor appointments. But when someone makes a
comment that he or she is such a good spouse, the caring spouse merely says, “I took vows.” And in
those few words supported with a lifetime of action, that husband or wife speaks more eloquently about
marriage than any priest or preacher could possibly speak. For his or her words have authority, the
authority of the One who called him to the sacrament of marriage and the authority of the spouse who
lives the sacrament of marriage.
Jesus spoke with authority. He was not like the scribes and Pharisees. He was not two faced.
He was not hypocritical. He didn't have a dark side of his life that he kept hidden. He didn't just speak
the truth, He was the Truth Incarnate. Jesus gave orders to unclean spirits, and they obeyed him. It
wasn't the words that kicked the devil out, it was the person who spoke those words.
He didn't call us just to do some of the things He did, He called us to be His presence for others.
We are called to destroy evil in our world. We cannot do this unless we are determined to be Christ
like.
Today we pray that we might be invested in the authority of Christ, an authority that flows not
just from what we say, but from who we are as Christ like people.
This material is used with permission of its author, Rev. Joseph A. Pellegrino, Diocese of St. Petersburg, FL
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4th Sunday in Ordinary Time – Cycle B
The information and commentary presented each week on this page are notes for the Wednesday
Scripture Class held at St Charles Borromeo 1000 Goodyear Blvd Picayune, MS 39466 601-798-4779
Rev Mike Snyder, Pastor. These notes are not intended to be used in isolation but as background
information for the readings and starting points for group discussion.
Note: Where a Scripture text is underlined in the body of this discussion, it is recommended that the
reader look up and read that passage.
1st Reading - Deuteronomy 18:15-20
Deuteronomy is structured in the form of three discourses, the second of which contains the laws
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proper. The first discourse (1:1-4:43) is an introduction to the book. It stresses what the book, and the
entire Bible, is all about. It tells us that God in His providence and mercy is constantly watching over
His people, over every single man and woman, as can be seen from the wonders He worked during the
40 years the Jews spent in the wilderness. Most important of all, this first discourse emphasizes another
basic fact: Yahweh requires strict fidelity to the covenant: this was what Israel committed itself to in
Sinai, to adore the one true God.
The second discourse, from which our reading for today comes, encompasses 4:44 through
chapter 28. This discourse stresses the Decalogue and that God’s choice of Israel is a pure act of love
on His part and that this grace must permeate the lifestyle of His Chosen People; consequently a whole
series of liturgical, civil and criminal laws are given to ensure that His promises are carried out.
The third discourse (29 through the end) is a vigorous exhortation to obedience to Yahweh.
Their love for Him should not be out of fear of punishment but by way of appreciation for all the gifts
He has given. True wisdom consists in not exploring the hidden mysteries of God out of curiosity, but
in knowing His commandments and practicing them faithfully.
To better understand today’s first reading, we will start at verse 9 and continue through the
reading. It is Moses who is speaking. The question at issue here is the all-important one of the vital link
between the people and God. The fundamental opposition between a nature religion, the aim of which
was control and leverage on the deity (such as practiced by the pagans who occupy the Promised
Land), and that of the Hebrew; who is to live by obedience to God’s saving word. Ecstatic prophecy
was common to Israel and Canaan, but the end that it served was in each case profoundly different.
This is a key text regarding the institution of the office of prophet in Israel. Together with the
king and the priest, the prophet is one of the great institutions of Israel; the prophet has a very
important religious position and special moral authority. In the history of the Jewish people Moses is
seen not only as the one who delivered Israel from slavery in Egypt, not only as the one who gave them
God’s laws, but also as the first prophet and the model for all future prophets.
The role of the prophet is to monitor the status of the people’s covenantal relationship with
God;
to
speak
in
the
name
of
the
Lord
and
proclaim
the
meaning
and scope of past, present and future events: to remind them of the blessings and curses associated
with their covenant. As Peter Kreeft says in his book The God Who Loves You, “Prophets are like
fingers, not like faces. We are not meant to look at them but to the reality to which they point.”
“When you come into the land which the LORD, your God, is giving you, you shall not learn to
imitate the abominations of the peoples there. 10 Let there not be found among you anyone who
immolates his son or daughter in the fire,
Immolation was a form of child sacrifice practiced by the Phoenicians who sacrificed to Molech (see
Leviticus 18:21) by slaying the child and then cremating it (see Ezekiel 16:20-22; 20:26, 31; 23:37)
Such human sacrifices are classed here with other pagan superstitions because they were believed to
possess magical powers for averting calamity (see 2 Kings 3:27). Three other forms are also listed as
we shall hear.
nor a fortune-teller, soothsayer, charmer, diviner,
Fortune telling, soothsaying and divining are forms of augury (divination).
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11 or caster of spells,
Charming and casting of spells is the practice of black magic.
nor one who consults ghosts and spirits or seeks oracles from the dead.
Consulting ghosts and spirits or seeking oracles from the dead is the practice of necromancy
(occultism).
12 Anyone who does such things is an abomination to the LORD, and because of such abominations
the LORD, your God, is driving these nations out of your way. 13 You, however, must be altogether
sincere toward the LORD, your God. 14 Though these nations whom you are to dispossess listen to
their soothsayers and fortune-tellers, the LORD, your God, will not permit you to do so.
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“A prophet like me will the LORD, your God, raise up for you from among your own kinsmen;
to him you shall listen.
Prophecy is for Israel the great means of mediation with her God It is shown in opposition to the
surrogates just mentioned. This is the prophetic office founded at Sinai (Horeb) as an office of mediation
like that of Moses himself who was a unique prophet. Since Jesus is the Great Prophet in whom the
prophetic office of the Old Testament finds its fulfillment, this passage was understood in a special
messianic sense by the Jews (John 6:14; 7:40) and by the Apostles (Acts 3:22; 7:37).
16 This is exactly what you requested of the LORD, your God, at Horeb on the day of the
assembly, when you said, ‘Let us not again hear the voice of the LORD, our God, nor see this
great fire any more, lest we die.’ 17 And the LORD said to me, ‘This was well said. 18 I will raise
up for them a prophet like you from among their kinsmen, and will put my words into his mouth;
he shall tell them all that I command him.
This is the only prophet promised in the Torah (the first five books of the Bible). It was to this prophet that
the Samaritan woman at the well referred when she said to Jesus “you are a prophet” (John 4:19). The
Samaritans had as their Sacred Writings only the Torah because they rejected the Prophets who spoke
badly of them. This passage was interpreted in later Judaism as applying to an eschatological prophetic
figure (see John 1:21).
19 If any man will not listen to my words which he speaks in my name, I myself will make him
answer for it. 20 But if a prophet presumes to speak in my name an oracle that I have not
commanded him to speak, or speaks in the name of other gods, he shall die.’
2nd Reading - 1 Corinthians 7:32-35
Last Week we heard Saint Paul begin to answer various questions which have been asked of
him. The one addressed last week and again today concerns marriage and virginity. We continue with
his remarks from where we left off last week.
32 I should like you to be free of anxieties. An unmarried man is anxious about the things of the
Lord, how he may please the Lord. 33 But a married man is anxious about the things of the world,
how he may please his wife, 34 and he is divided. An unmarried woman or a virgin is anxious
about the things of the Lord, so that she may be holy in both body and spirit. A married woman,
on the other hand, is anxious about the things of the world, how she may please her husband.
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Marriage involves spouses in many worldly cares that make it difficult for them to concentrate
themselves perfectly and completely to the Lord’s service. The married are tied by flesh and blood in
many relationships that subject them to this world and can easily impede their complete dedication to
God. The husband must try to please the wife, and the wife the husband. Consequently, they are
“divided;” impeded from devoting their attention solely to the Lord. The virgin, being freed from the
cares and duties of family life, can devote herself with undivided attention and heart to the Lord. She
may be “holy” in the cultic sense of being dedicated to God, consecrated, sacred, reserved for God and
His service.
“Here Paul explains why virginity is preferable to marriage. It has nothing to do with the rightness or
wrongness of sex. Rather it is a question of anxieties which prevent the mind from concentrating on the
worship of God.” [Severian of Gabala (ca. A.D. 400), Pauline Commentary from the Greek Church]
35 I am telling you this for your own benefit, not to impose a restraint upon you, but for the sake
of propriety and adherence to the Lord without distraction.
Virginity is a better state than marriage because it is better adapted to the contemplation of God and to
the apostolic life. In counseling virginity, Saint Paul does not intend to restrict the Christian’s liberty to
contract marriage, but only to point out what is advantageous for them, what is proper, and what
enables them to devote themselves to the Lord without distraction.
“The one is bound by marriage bonds, the other is free. One is under the law, the other under grace.
Marriage is good because through it the means of human continuity are found. But virginity is better,
because through it are attained the inheritance of a heavenly kingdom and a continuity of heavenly
rewards.” [Saint Ambrose of Milan (ca. A.D. 389), Synodal Letters 44]
Gospel - Mark 1:21-28
Jesus has just started His public ministry. For the past two weeks we have heard of Him going
out and recruiting disciples. New He begins to teach.
21 Then they came to Capernaum,
Capernaum is located on the northwestern shore of the Sea of Galilee (Lake Gennesaret), this town was
to become Jesus’ home base while in Galilee.
and on the Sabbath he entered the synagogue and taught.
Mark records much less of Jesus’ doctrine than either Matthew or Luke, but he associates the activity
of teaching much more closely with Jesus’ self-revelation.
22 The people were astonished at his teaching, for he taught them as one having authority and
not as the scribes.
A rabbi had authority to impose a decision with binding force. A scribe was a teacher of lower rank
than a rabbi and did not possess this authority.
23 In their synagogue was a man with an unclean spirit;
Jesus’ first miracle in Mark’s gospel is, significantly, an exorcism. In antiquity sickness was ascribed to
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evil spirits. The exorcism is a sign that in His presence the power of evil is reduced to impotency.
God’s rule is at hand.
24 he cried out, “What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy
us?
Jesus is, in effect, recognized as the Messiah, anointed with God’s Spirit and possessing power over
evil spirits.
I know who you are –
One’s name revealed their destiny. To know one’s adversary’s name was to give one a magical power
over him. The demon names Jesus twice: “Jesus of Nazareth” and “the Holy one of God” but has no
power over Him.
the Holy One of God!”
“While Peter’s confession sounded almost the same (Matthew 16:16), the crucial difference is that
Peter confessed out of love, while the demon confessed out of fear.” (Saint Augustine of Hippo (A.D.
416), Homilies on the Gospel of John 6,21).
25 Jesus rebuked him
This is a technical term which means exorcized. and said,
“Quiet!
“He put a bridle in the mouths of the demons that cried after Him from the tombs. For although what
they said was true, and they did not lie when they said, ‘You are the Son of God’ and ‘the Holy One of
God,’ yet He did not wish that the truth should proceed from an unclean mouth, and especially from
such as those who under pretense of truth might mingle with it their own malicious devices.” [Saint
Bede the Venerable (A.D. 673-735), To the Bishops of Egypt 3].
Come out of him!” 26 The unclean spirit convulsed him and with a loud cry came out of him. 27
All were amazed and asked one another, “What is this? A new teaching with authority. He
commands even the unclean spirits and they obey him.” 28 His fame spread everywhere
throughout the whole region of Galilee.
St. Charles Borromeo Catholic Church, Picayune, MS http://www.scborromeo.org
[B] 4th Sunday in Ordinary Time
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Hans Urs von Balthasar
1. In the Gospel, when Jesus drives out a demonic spirit his teaching is recognized as a
"completely new teaching", namely, teaching presented "with authority". This completely new
teaching "frightens" people. They see the proof of newness in the deliverance from the demon,
but this can at most only be a confirmation of his authority, not the doctrine itself.
The decisive point is found at the opening of the Gospel: Jesus teaches in the synagogue "and
the people were spellbound by his teaching". His "divine authority" was apparent in the
teaching itself, distinguishing it from the teaching of "the scribes". The new doctrine demands
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a radicality in obedience to God that is completely different from the legalistic strictness
required by the scribes. This radicality by no means requires a flight from the world of the sort
practiced by the Qpmran community, rather, in the midst of the world and its work and
drudgery it calls to a life lived undividedly, solely for God and according to his command. This
command, which Jesus expounds to men, is both infinitely simple and infinitely demanding.
He constantly repeated it: love God above all else and love your neighbor as yourself All of the
law and the prophets depends on this (cf. Mt 7:12). This is the perfection attainable by man; a
perfection in which he can and should be like his heavenly Father (cf. Mt 5:48). In this there is
no division, only an integrated whole.
2. In the second reading Paul focuses on the same radicalism. Ostensibly he distinguishes two
categories of men: those who remain unmarried in order to "busy themselves with the Lord's
affairs", and those who marry and thus wish "to busy themselves with things of this world and
with pleasing their wives". But, as his "household rules" indicate (for example, Col 3; 1Tim
2-5; cf. 1 Pet 3), none of this is intended to counsel men not to marry or not to practice a
secular occupation. Instead he wants to make some observations about the normal
characteristics of worldly-minded people. He may perhaps indicate a slight preference for
being unmarried ("It would be fine with me if everyone were as I am." [1 Cor 7:7]), but he
immediately adds: "But each one has his own particular gift from God", by which it is entirely
possible for him to serve God and love his neighbor "undividedly", even in the midst of
marriage and the world. In many instances one wonders whether it is easier to live undividedly
under the "evangelical counsels" (celibacy, voluntary poverty etc.) than in a healthy Christian
marriage. The pastoral letters oppose those who "forbid marriage" -for, to the contrary,
"everything created by God is good" (1 Tim 4:3-4)'
3. Moses had already anticipated this ultimate teaching whose simplicity encompasses
everything. In the first reading he looked ahead to the prophet of whom God says: "I will put
my words into his mouth." "The Lord will raise him up" in fulfillment of all that was begun in
the Old Covenant. As a result one needs to listen to whatever he says.
F r o m L i g h t o f t h e W o r d b y H U v o n B a l t h a s a r © 1993, San Francisco: Ignatius Press, Used with Permission, All Rights Reserved
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Father Phillip Bloom
Liberation from Addiction
(Homily for Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year B)
Bottom line: Jesus freed Dostoevsky from the unclean spirit of gambling. He can also free us from
addiction.
In today’s Gospel we hear about a man tormented by an unclean spirit which causes uncontrollable
outbursts. At first glance, it seems like we are entering strange world, far removed from our own.
Nevertheless, when we think about it, it may not be as distant as it first appears. We often read in the
newspaper about fellow humans who act under some inexplicable compulsion, who do things almost
unimaginable. Moreover, we know people who appear quite ordinary, yet who are gripped by selfdestructive addictions. Indeed, most of us have that kind of experience, at least during some stage of
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our lives. We may not identify it as an “unclean spirit,” but we find ourselves in the thrall of some
power which seems beyond our control. And it is not uncommon for people with great mental abilities
to fall victim to some irrational compulsion.
I would like to use an example from one of the greatest geniuses of modern times – the Russian
novelist, Feodor Dostoevsky. He is known as the "master of the human heart" on account of his
penetrating psychological insights, but he had great difficulty mastering his own emotions. A "demon"
which afflicted him was a gambling addiction.
The addiction began when Dostoevsky entered a casino and placed a bet at the roulette wheel. He won
– and it seemed like his financial troubles were over. He did not, however, stop when he was ahead; he
kept playing and wound up losing everything. In desperation, he pawned his ring, his watch and his
coat. Then he proceeded to lose that money as well.
Afterward, he felt miserable, not just because of his losses, but because he had given into a frenzy
which drove him to act recklessly. He resolved to never gamble again. To his wife he swore that he
would quit, but that turned out to be a promise she would hear over and over. Dostoevsky’s gambling
not only plunged him into ever deeper debt; it jeopardized his marriage and his family. This pattern
continued for many years.
One day things changed. Dostoevsky had scraped together a sum equaling a few hundred dollars. He
carefully calculated what part he would risk and what part he would save. As always, the frenzy
overtook him and he not only bet everything, but pleaded with fellow gamblers to loan him money,
offering them some item of clothes as collateral. About nine-thirty in the evening, he emerged from the
casino, full of remorse. He decided to seek a priest to make a confession. In the distance he saw what
looked like a Russian church. When he finally got there, it turned out to be a Jewish synagogue. He
later wrote, "It was as though I had cold water poured over me. I came running home…" From that day
forward, he never entered another casino.
We do not know exactly what happened to Dostoevsky that night, but somehow his addiction was
broken. It certainly had something to do with his desire to confess his sins and seek Christ’s
forgiveness. And it was as if an unclean spirit had been cast from him. He entered into some of the
most productive – and happiest – years of his life.
When we see such things happen - and we do, even today – we can only marvel and react as did the
townspeople of Capernaum: “What is this? A new teaching with authority. He commands even the
unclean spirits and they obey him.” Jesus can also liberate you – and me.
Father Phillip Bloom is Pastor of St. Mary of the Valley
© 2009-2015 St. Mary of the Valley Catholic Church Monroe, WA. All Rights Reserved.
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Sunday Scripture Reflections with Frank Doyle SJ
ON THE PAST TWO SUNDAYS we have seen Jesus baptised, he has announced the
meaning and purpose of his work and he has called his first disciples. In today’s Mass we see
him beginning that work.
The words of Deuteronomy (First Reading) are being fulfilled. “Yahweh your God will raise up
a prophet… from among yourselves, from your own brothers; to him you must listen.” Jesus
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has appeared, a Jew of Palestine like all those around him. And he is a prophet. Not in the
current sense of someone who can foretell the future but rather as one who speaks the word
of God. For that reason, he should be listened to.
A day in the life…
Today’s passage from Mark is really the beginning of a busy day (and night) for Jesus in
which are contained, one might say, all the main characteristics of his public life. He joins in
public worship, he teaches, he heals, he drives out evil spirits – and he prays privately. There
is also the astounded reaction of the ordinary people.
(In Mark’s gospel we find three kinds of people, all of whom react differently to Jesus – his
own disciples, the religious leaders, and the ordinary people. Usually, it is only the ordinary
people who come off with any credit and insight.)
This first reported day in Jesus’ public life is a Sabbath day. And we find Jesus with his fellow
townsmen in the synagogue. It is important for us to realise that Jesus was a practising Jew
and he normally observed the requirements of the Jewish faith, as did his disciples even after
the resurrection. He never criticised that faith. What he did criticise were what he saw as
distortions, hypocrisies and other corrupting elements. Jesus’ message is, as he says himself
in Matthew, not an abrogation of the Jewish faith but carrying it to its logical fulfilment
(Matthew 5:17).
In the synagogue
The synagogue service was basically a Scripture and prayer service. There was no sacrifice;
that was confined to one place, the Temple in Jerusalem. Most Jews very seldom went to the
Temple for the simple reason that, for most of them, it was too far away. We see Jesus
apparently going there about once a year or, like his compatriots, for some of the major
feasts.
However, on every Sabbath (Saturday to us) they went to their local synagogue for common
worship and prayer. The service was simple: some prayers, reading from the Scripture (the
Hebrew or Old Testament, of course) and someone preached. There were no formal clergy or
priests in the synagogue. (Again, these were confined to the Temple; John the Baptist’s father
was one of them. It is only when Jesus goes to Jerusalem that he comes in confrontation with
them. They are not to be confused with either the Pharisees or the Scribes.)
In the synagogue, then, anyone could be invited to get up and preach. On this particular
Sabbath day, Jesus was invited. Perhaps he already had a name as a speaker. In any case,
as soon as he opens his mouth the people feel immediately that here is someone who is
different.
When the Scribes, the experts in the Law, preached, they were primarily explaining the given
meaning of the Jewish Law in the sacred books. But when Jesus spoke it was with ‘authority.’
Somehow the people realised that he was not giving out someone else’s teaching. He was
giving out his own. As we hear it in Matthew’s gospel: “You have heard it said … but I say…”
A man possessed
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But Jesus not only spoke with authority. He also acted with authority. Right there as he spoke
there was a man with an ‘evil spirit.’ What exactly does that mean? Have you ever
encountered a person with an ‘evil spirit’? Have you ever met a so-called ‘possessed’ person?
We need to remember that in the time of Jesus, people believed that the world was full of
spirits – some good, some bad. They were everywhere and could attack people in all kinds of
ways. You could even ask that evil spirits attack other people, for instance, people you
wanted to take revenge on.
This is by no means a thing of the past. Such beliefs are still very much alive in many parts of
the world, not least in parts of Southeast Asia e.g. Malaysia, Indonesia, the Philippines. Even
in sophisticated ‘developed’ societies it is often difficult to find someone who will walk calmly
through a cemetery in the dark. Amid the glass and steel skyscrapers of Hong Kong and
Singapore, how careful people are in choosing a wedding date or how anxious they are about
the fung shui, the propitious orientation of their house or office.
In the time of Jesus, if any person was sick, or acted in an ‘abnormal’ way, they were said to
have an evil spirit. It was natural to think that people such as epileptics, spastics, mentally
disturbed people were the victims of some force that had invaded their bodies. Because of the
spirit, people seemed to lose control of their speech and movements. The spirit had taken
over. Were these evil spirits real? It is difficult to say. Obviously, some would have a simple
medical diagnosis today. But one does meet people in some parts of the world who are
convinced that there are forms of possession. The point is that they were healed, made whole
again, by Jesus and liberated from their affliction.
The evil spirits of our own day
That there are evil forces in our world today is difficult to deny. Some of the appalling
sufferings that people are made to endure by the inhuman behaviour of individuals and
groups are hard to explain otherwise. And, while we often look on helpless, somehow we are
part of it ourselves.
What is important is that, in the time of Jesus, people really believed in the existence of all
kinds of forces. These forces were the source of great and even paralysing fears. What Jesus
does is to liberate people from their fears. It was not the evil spirit that was the problem so
much as the victim’s fear of that spirit. It is not objective reality that limits our freedom and
effectiveness but the way it is seen by us. (Have you ever tried the trick of putting a rubber
snake in a friend’s bed and waited for the reaction? What made them scream? The piece of
rubber? Or their fear?)
Jesus shows no fear in the face of the spirit in the synagogue. “Be quiet! Come out of him!”
The man is thrown into convulsions but he is free. And what is really important is that he feels
free.
What are our fears? What spirits are we afraid of? What are the things, the persons, the
places which prevent us from doing what we really want to do, from being the person we
really want to be? It is important that we identify our fears and that we see them within
ourselves and not simply blame others for them. Once we recognise them within ourselves,
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we can ask Jesus to help us drop them. Let us put ourselves under his authority and he will
liberate us.
The people in the synagogue are simply astounded. “Here is teaching that is new and with
authority behind it. He gives orders even to unclean spirits – and they obey him.” No wonder
his name rapidly becomes known all over the countryside. (The rural grapevine works faster
than any fax machine!)
Jesus, a man of authority
We can see here how powerfully Mark presents the impact that Jesus makes. His work of
salvation has begun. The Kingdom of God is near when he acts like this. People experience
the power. But what kind of power is it?
It is the power of authority. The word authority comes from a Latin verb augere, which means
to make something increase. Its root can be found in words like ‘authority,’ ‘author.’ Its root is
also found in the English verb ‘to wax’ (as the moon ‘waxes’ and wanes).
So real authority is not just, as we often interpret it, having power over people so that we can
make them do what we want them to do. Genuine authority is the ability to en-able people, to
em-power them. To enable them to transcend themselves, to grow as persons, to be more
effective in the development and use of their innate gifts.
Authority as service
This is the kind of authority which Jesus wields. Jesus did not come to rule and control
people. He came, he said, not to be served but to serve. He came, above all, to make people
free. So that in their freedom, they could generate all the productive and growth energies
within them and be alive with the life of God within them. He freed them from all the ‘evil
spirits’ of fear, compulsions, narrow self-centredness, anger, resentment, hostility and
violence which prevent people from truly enjoying the experience of being alive. “I have come
that they may have life, life in abundance.”
How sad it is then that so many people see being faithful to the Christian faith as a burden to
be sloughed off so that they can be “free” of oppression and limitation. To what extent is the
Church responsible for giving this image which is such a contradiction of the Gospel
message?
So, let us all pray today that Jesus, with his growth-inducing authority will be a real source of
liberation for us. May he free us from all those spirits which make us deaf, dumb, blind and
lame in life – and paralysed by fear.
Frank Doyle is an Irish Jesuit, working as chaplain in Gonzaga College in Dublin.
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