September 05, 2017

Gospel: Lk 4:31-37
Jesus went down to Capernaum, a town of Galilee, and began teaching the people at the Sabbath meetings. They were astonished at the way he taught them, for his word was spoken with authority.
In the synagogue, there was a man possessed by an evil spirit, who shouted in a loud voice, “What do you want with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I recognize you: you are the Holy One of God.“ Then Jesus said to him sharply, “Be silent and leave this man!“ The evil spirit then threw the man down in front of them, and came out of him without doing him harm.
Amazement seized all these people, and they said to one another, “What does this mean? He commands the evil spirits with authority and power. He orders, and you see how they come out!“ And news about Jesus spread throughout the surrounding area.

REFLECTION:
The Gospel presents Jesus as someone possessing incredible powers that when he talked people were held totally spellbound. In addition, people were completely amazed at his power over evil spirits. He authoritatively commanded the spirit, “Be quiet and come out of the man!“ And the evil spirit obeyed. His words have the power to conquer anything or anyone who wishes to thwart the expansion of the kingdom of God.
All of us have “demons“ that need to be tamed or driven out of our hearts and minds. We should not be scared or discouraged by our lack of success in confounding them. We just have to run to Jesus who has the power to silence and to drive them away especially through the Sacrament of Penance or Reconciliation and other sacraments. All we have to do is to place ourselves under the authority of the Lord.