TODAY'S WORD

By


Fr. Aloysius Santiago sdb
Rector and Parish Priest
Don Bosco Shrine
Lingarajapuram, Bangalore

Mark: 1:27 "The people were all so amazed that they asked each other, “What is this? A new teaching—and with authority! He even gives orders to impure spirits and they obey Him.”

TODAY'S REFLECTION

Today’s first reading declares that ‘the one who sanctifies’, Jesus, ‘and the ones who are sanctified’, his followers, ‘are of the same stock’. We are being reminded that Jesus, through his life, death and resurrection, has drawn us into an intimate relationship with himself, such that we can now consider ourselves his brothers and sisters. Indeed, Jesus is closer to us than our own flesh and blood family. Saint Paul uses the language of adoption to express this relationship we have as members of Jesus’ family. As Jesus is Son of God, we have been adopted as sons and daughters of God through the power of the Holy Spirit. We can look to Jesus as our brother, to his Father as our Father, and to his mother as our mother. As Jesus’ adopted siblings, he is close to us at all times, especially in those moments when we are at our most vulnerable, when the shadow of death falls over us in some way. Today’s first reading says that Jesus ‘had to experience death for all mankind’. He has plumbed the darkest recesses of the human condition so he can be with us in our darkest moments as light. 

Jesus met with various kinds of responses in the course of his ministry. 

In this morning’s gospel reading, while he was in the synagogue of Capernaum someone who was very disturbed in spirit responded to Jesus in a very aggressive way, ‘What do you want with us, Jesus of Nazareth?’ When someone responds to our presence in a similarly aggressive way, we can be very tempted to react in kind. 

We become aggressive towards them, which in turn can bring out further aggression in them. Jesus, however, did not respond to this man as the man had responded to him. 

Jesus responded to this disturbed man with a word that proved to be a healing and life-giving word for him, ‘Be quiet! Come out of him!’ 

The gospel reading says that the crowd were astonished at the authority of his teaching, his word. 

His authority was such that he was able to absorb this man’s aggression and respond to it with a word that was healing and calming in its impact. 

This is what divine authority looks like, the authority of the Spirit. 

It is the kind of authority that the world needs today, an authority that is rooted in our relationship with God, with his Son and the Holy Spirit. 

It is the authority to retain a loving, life-giving stance towards all, even in the face of great provocation and hostility; 

It is the authority to bring calm where there is disturbance


QUESTIONS TO PONDER

Do I constantly seek live a life, in the Presence of the Lord… so that no powers of Satan can touch us?

Do I nourish my spiritual life with the daily food of Prayer, Word of God and re-commitment to holiness… so that we are never under the bondage of the evil?

The mighty power of the Lord is with us

Always wanting to provide for us!

Always wanting to take care of us!


RESOLUTION

Let’s resolve to submit ourselves to His Power and Authority, knowing for sure:

“When God orders, even the devil obeys!”

GOD BLESS YOUR DAY WITH HIS LOVE AND MERCY TO  KNOW THAT WE BELING TO HIM