FOURTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME

28 JANUARY 2024

 

          At the time of Jesus, scribes and anyone claiming to be a teacher based their teachings on the authority of a previous scholar of the law.  Ultimately, they traced all their teaching authority to Moses.  In today’s reading from the Book of Deuteronomy, Moses calls himself the prophet.  But he also promises that God will raise up for his people among their kin a prophet like him. 

            Mark sees this prophecy fulfilled in Jesus of Nazareth, who returns to Capernaum, the center of his ministry in Galilee.  Unlike the scribes and other rabbis, he preaches with his own authority.  People are amazed at his teaching, but are unable to connect the dots to know his true identity.  However, the unclean spirit who possesses the man knows exactly who he is.  The unclean spirit knows that Jesus is the prophet promised by Moses.  The unclean spirit realizes that Jesus is lord of the Sabbath, unlike the scribes who will eventually condemn Jesus for ignoring the Law of Moses by healing on the Sabbath.  The unclean spirit knows that Jesus will eventually destroy the power of the demons by entering into the darkness of death himself.

            At this Mass, we continue to listen to Jesus speaking directly to each one of us.  We know that he fulfills the prophecy of Moses.  He speaks with authority to us.  In celebrating his death and resurrection made present at this Eucharist, we know what that unclean spirit knows.  He has defeated the power of Satan.  He has the power to drive him out.  But the demons never quit.  They do everything possible to distract us from believing this mystery.           

            There is no shortage of the demon’s activities in our world today.  Wars are raging out of control, and innocent victims are suffering greatly.  We live in a deeply divided and polarized society, where we tend to demonize those who disagree with us.  There is a callous disregard for the sanctity of human life.  It is so much easier to put other priorities first.  It is becoming more difficult to tell the difference between what is true and what is false.  As the father of lies, the devil loves the chaos caused by so many untruths.

            Saint Paul is fully aware of his own demons when he writes to the Church at Corinth.  He had been blind to the truth about Jesus of Nazareth and had persecuted his followers.  He had been arrogant and prideful of the way he practiced his faith as a Pharisee.  But he encountered the Lord on the road to Damascus.  He recognized Jesus Christ is the long-promised Messiah who could cast out his demons.  He preached this message to the Gentiles as a celibate man.       Each one of us is a follower of Jesus Christ in our current vocations.  Most of you are married, and some of us remain single or committed to living a celibate life.  In his Letter to the Corinthians, Saint Paul is speaking from his own perspective.  As a celibate man, he concentrates all his energies in embracing the person of Jesus Christ, who had cast out his demons.  We also need to acknowledge that we have demons that speak lies to us and tempt us to believe that division and hatred and chaos are part of the fabric of human life.  Jesus has the power to cast out those demons.  He can free us to trust more completely in his power.  With our demons cast out, we can have the serenity of the man in today’s Gospel.  We can know the peace that Saint Paul lived with, even in the midst of all of the challenges he faced.

            The Season of Lent is coming much more quickly than usual this year.  As we prepare to enter those forty days of repentance, we might spend some time in prayer to identify the demons that each of us possesses.  It might be the demon of arrogance and pride.  It might be the demon of attraction to an unhealthy habit.  It might be the demon of envy or greed or jealousy.  It might be the demon that continues to tell us that we cannot trust in the Lord’s plan for us.  Through prayer, fasting, and almsgiving, we can face our demons and allow the Lord to drive them out.

 

THE EPIPHANY OF THE LORD

7 JANUARY 2024

 

          The prophet Isaiah knows the darkness that covers the earth and the thick clouds over his people.  They had just returned from their fifty-year exile in Babylon.  Most of them had never been in Jerusalem.  They had been born in captivity.  They heard of the glories of the city of Jerusalem and the beauty and grandeur of the temple from their parents.  However, there is no glory and no beauty or grandeur in the land they now inhabit.  The Babylonians  had left the city in absolute ruins and destroyed the temple.  They face the daunting task of rebuilding both. 

            But the prophet insists that this darkness and the thick clouds will not last.  The prophet promises that the bright light of God’s presence will shine forth in Jerusalem.  That light will attract people from far off places and bring their sons and daughters to be part of this great light.  Caravans of camels will come from Midian and Ephah and Sheba bringing expensive gifts to proclaim the praises of the Lord. 

            Saint Matthew announces that the prophecy of Isaiah has been fulfilled.  He does not tell us why the mysterious magi come to pay homage to the newborn king of the Jews.  They more than likely come from the remains of Babylon where there is a strong and active community of Jewish people who continue to live in exile.  They are drawn by what may have been a super nova lighting up the sky and casting its light on the city of Jerusalem.  After a long journey, they meet the present king, Herod. 

            Herod asks the chief priests and scribes about the birth of the Christ, the long-awaited Messiah.  They quote the prophet Micah who speaks of Bethlehem as the place from which the Messiah will shepherd his people.  Herod is both devious and paranoid.  He does not want any newborn king to rival him.  He has already killed some of his own sons.  The religious leaders have gotten the message and ignored it.  Herod sends the magi who have no understanding to Bethlehem.  He tells them to bring the information back so he can pay the newborn king homage.

            They recognize the divine light in the child who is with his mother (and more than likely with Joseph) in a house in Bethlehem.  They give him gifts.  There is a running joke that if they had been wise women instead of wise men, they would have given more practical gifts – diapers, warm clothing, and baby formula.  But these gifts are not practical.  They reveal the true identity and mission of this child.  The gold points to the reality that he is a king.  The frankincense indicates that he is God.  The myrrh reveals his mission as the Suffering Servant.  The wood of his manger will eventually be replaced by the wood of the cross.  As a human person, he will embrace the most difficult part of being human – sharing completely in our suffering and in our death.  His body will be anointed with myrrh at his burial.  He will be raised from the dead.

            We too know our share of darkness that covers the earth and the thick clouds over us.  The wars in the Holy Land, Ukraine, and Sudan give us reason to mourn over the destruction of so many innocent people at the hands of ruthless leaders.  Our own country is torn apart by anger and hatred.  We suffer divisions in our Church that cause fear and confusion and pain.  And yet, we have also encountered the incredible reality that God has taken on human flesh and dwells in the midst of all our darkness.  Have you ever noticed that all religious art depicting the birth of Christ is filled with light?  That light does not come from some external source.  That light comes directly from the child lying in the manger.

            We can leave the Christmas Season tomorrow with the same hope that the prophet gave to his people.  God dwells in our midst.  No darkness can overcome it.  God’s light, present in the Lord Jesus Christ who dwells in our midst, will prevail.