DAILY- HOMILY

January 28, 2018 - 4th SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME

Cycle B. Green.

Dt 18:12- 20 / 1 Cor 7: 32- 35 / Mk 1: 21 - 28

FROM THE 1ST READING:             Dt 18: 14- 15, 17- 18

Those people that you are to drive away listened to sorcerers and diviners, but Yahweh, your God, has provided you with something different. He will raise up for you a prophet like myself from among the people, from your brothers, to whom you shall listen...

So Yahweh said to me: "They have spoken well. I shall raise up a prophet from their midst, one of their brothers, who will be like you. I will put my words into his mouth and he will tell them all I command."

GOSPEL READING:           Mk 1: 21 - 28

They went into the town of Capernaum and Jesus began to teach in the synagogue during the sabbath assemblies. The people were astonished at the way he taught, for he spoke as one having authority and not like the teachers of the Law.

It happened that a man with an evil spirit was in the synagogue and he shouted, "What do you want with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are: You are the Holy One of God." Then Jesus faced him and said with authority, "Be silent and come out of this man!" The evil spirit shook the man violently and, with a loud shriek, came out of him.

All the people were astonished and they wondered, "What is this? With what authority he preaches! He even orders evil spirits and they obey him!" And Jesus' fame spread throughout all the country of Galilee.

REFLECTION

The Gospel reading today speaks of our Lord towards the beginning of his public ministry. The reading highlights two realities in our spiritual life: the centrality of Jesus as Lord and the manner in which the Evil One deals with us. These realities speak of our spiritual dynamics in dealing with the Evil One.

Jesus the miracle-worker heals a man possessed by an evil spirit in the sight of all gathered in the synagogue. He drives away the evil spirit and restores the man to health.

Many times in our lives we are "possessed" by many things: without knowing it, we have been subtly enslaved by our senses, by our craving for wealth and material things, by our desire for power and influence. Like the man possessed by an unclean spirit in the Gospel reading, we have been "possessed" by the wrong things: we are in a state far from our original standing as adopted sons and daughters of God, dwelling places of the Holy Spirit. It is in this context that Jesus frees us from such possession: he exorcises the evil in us so that only what is Godly remains. We ask ourselves, at this point in our lives, what have subtly and perhaps unknowingly enslaved and possessed us and hold us captive and not free? And we ask Jesus to deliver us from these.

The second point is on the spiritual dynamics between us and the Evil One. In his Spiritual Exercises, St. Ignatius of Loyola reminds us that the Evil One deals with us in various ways: at times like a military general and tactician, at other times like a deceiving false lover, at other times like a spoiled brat: in whichever way he wishes to hold us captive and under his power.

The demon in the possessed man challenges Jesus and tries to dissuade him from his ministry. But Jesus asserts his authority.

Many times in our lives the Evil One would want to stifle and control us. St. Ignatius reminds us to show force and power against the Evil One, the force and power that comes from the grace of the Risen Christ. We pray that we not only be freed from the subtle and tempting clutches of the Evil One but also that the Evil One not stifle and threaten us. Let us live in boldness in dealing with the Evil One since the powerful Lord is on our side.

WE PRAY FOR MTQ DAILY PRAYER INTENTIONS:

BIRTHDAY 

     Crystal Ivy Mique-del Carmen

    Leonardo M. Javier Jr.

     Bhever!ie T. Semitara

Finally, we pray for one another, for those who have asked our prayers and for those who need our prayers the most. 

Have a good day!

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