My dear parishioners,
God is Good!!! All the time!!! And all the time!!! God is Good!!!
In the first reading, the book of Deuteronomy is chiefly a long series of instructions given by Moses to the people of Israel. He prepares them for life on the other side of the Jordan River. His concern is that once they arrive in the Promised Land and enjoy all its comforts and abundance, they will begin to become complacent. They will forget they need God just as much in the Promised Land as they did in the wilderness during their 40 years of wandering.
The ministry of Jesus consists primarily of two elements: teaching and healing. Seldom are we told precisely what Jesus taught, but often it is understood that he taught with authority and not like the scribes. His healings were often exorcisms where we find Jesus in battle with the forces of evil. In today’s Gospel, we see Jesus in full action both teaching and healing.
Jesus teaches with authority. Jesus begins his ministry at Capernaum which was located on the northwest bank of the Sea of Galilee. There was a synagogue at Capernaum and Jesus began his ministry by teaching there on the Sabbath. The actual content of Jesus’ teaching is not given, but the people who heard it were astonished by his authority. He apparently did not make references to sources outside of himself as the scribes would have done. Jesus was his own authority.
Encounter with an unclean spirit. In that same synagogue was a man with an unclean spirit. Unclean spirits were understood to be the power of evil. Much of Jesus’ healing ministry involves the power of evil against the power of God. Jesus, as the mediator of God’s power, consistently defeats the power of evil. The process is similar in every exorcism: Jesus encounters a demon who recognizes him, he expels the demon, the demon departs, and finally, the people who witnessed the event respond with amazement.
The power of evil versus the power of God. Exorcisms are always about power. No one ever questions whether or not Jesus could do exorcisms. They would question the power he employed. Since Jesus would often heal on the Sabbath, the scribes and the Pharisees accused him of breaking the Sabbath law since healing was considered a work. They would then accuse Jesus of using the power of Satan to heal on the Sabbath. Jesus is not bound by the Sabbath laws. He is the fulfillment of the Torah and as such he is his own authority. He continues God’s battle with the forces of evil. “He commands even the unclean spirits and they obey him.” People are impressed by Jesus’ capacity to cast out demons. However, Jesus does not want to be known merely as one more miracle worker. This is not the sum total of his work
Excerpts from “Sunday Homily Helps”, is used by permission of Franciscan Media. www.FranciscanMedia.org
Sincerely in Christ,