The Gospel according to Mark (1:21-28)
Jesus came to Capernaum with his followers,
and on the sabbath he entered the synagogue and taught.
The people were astonished at his teaching,
for he taught them as one having authority and not as the scribes.
In their synagogue was a man with an unclean spirit;
he cried out, “What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth?
Have you come to destroy us?
I know who you are–the Holy One of God!”
Jesus rebuked him and said, “Quiet! Come out of him!”
The unclean spirit convulsed him and with a loud cry came out of him.
All were amazed and asked one another,
“What is this?
A new teaching with authority.
He commands even the unclean spirits and they obey him.”
His fame spread everywhere throughout the whole region of Galilee.
Reflection:
My friends, I was amazed when I reflected on this particular Gospel that this is the sixth time I’ve pondered it for the DEACON5. It’s been such a great blessing in my life to share my thoughts with you in this way.
We are here in Ordinary Time again, and all the decorations have finally come down (though not at our house yet – but I think we will take them down tomorrow). We have traded the white of Christmas for the lovely green that we will have for the next month or so until we begin the season of Lent. This first section of Ordinary Time varies in length and it is pretty short this year! I guess that means it is up to each of us to make the most of it before we begin that special season of looking at how we are living out the faith that has been given to us.
I’ve written a number of times about the style of Mark as a gospel writer – he is all about action. We go straight from Jesus calling His first disciples (yesterday’s passage) to Him immediately rebuking a demon, demonstrating His authority and power. I suppose that also fits with this short jaunt of Ordinary Time we are in. We are out of the holidays now, and are living through the “ordinary” of our day to day lives. I think that makes it all the more important that we not let these next weeks pass without consciously (or, shall I say, “intentionally”) paying attention to God’s presence in our lives, and asking Him to help us to follow Him more closely.
Of course, saying that does not make it so. It doesn’t make it easy, either. To me, it is not about if anyone else notices anything different in me. It’s about knowing that I am always in the presence of God, and all I ever want is for Him to see me as a servant who did his best to shine His light in all I do. That doesn’t happen in big ways (at least, not often). It happens in the little encounters we have, and in what we may think of as just “ordinary”. When we look back, though, we realize that those “ordinary” moments were the most important moments of all. Let us make the most of them!
Action for the Day:
Consciously and intentionally today, pause and ask God to show you how to follow Him better, and to shine His light better through every action you make today. Then, ask Him to do the same tomorrow and all the days that follow.
Link to the DEACON5 website: https://deacon5.com/
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