4TH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME B
JESUS’ POWER OVER SPIRITS
MK 1: 21-28
MESSAGE
In case you are not aware, the Gospel of Mark, which we will use most Sundays of this year, has one avowed aim: to proclaim Jesus as the Son of God. Being the shortest gospel, it swiftly accomplishes this without wasting time or words. Today’s narrative shows us the Lord Jesus astonishing the people with the authority of his words and the power of his deeds. He teaches the truth forcefully but also supports this with miracles never seen before. He commands the evil spirit and liberates a man from its grasp. The gospel reminds us that even today, the Lord Jesus continues to dominate over the spirits that oppress people. Indeed, he has vanquished the devil, and it’s not the only spirit he has crushed. He also attends to those troubled by other spirits in their hearts and minds.
The second reading (1 Cor 7) addresses the anxiety experienced by both unmarried and married individuals. While worry is unavoidable in life, anxiety is an internal movement of our hearts that saps energy and leaves people feeling helpless and purposeless. The Lord Jesus commands evil spirits and every troubling spirit in our hearts to enable us to live in freedom and peace. Let us courageously bring to the Lord the spirits that disturb us and our families today and believe in the power of his words and actions in our lives.
REFLECT
St. Francis de Sales said that anxiety is the greatest evil that can befall a soul, second only to sin. God commands us to pray, but he forbids us to worry so much. What are you anxious about at this moment? The future, relationships, security, success, guilt, or fear? Pour out your troubles to Jesus, the Son of God, and listen to him as he says to your anxious heart: Quiet! Come out and never return!
