Sunday Reflections - An aid to Sunday Liturgy
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23-Jan-06Dear Friend,
We have all come across persons whom we accept as authorities on some subject or topic. Most often we accept them not merely because they have a whole string of degrees attached to their name but because we have personally heard them speak from experience or have seen their work. We form our judgement of such people not on what others have to say about them but from our own experience of them. Do we truly accept the authority of our religious leaders and preachers? Do we speak about our faith with authority? Do we know and believe what we are talking about? Have an enlightened weekend! Fr. JudeSunday Reflections: Fourth Sunday of the Year -Speaking with Authority and power... 29-Jan-06The first reading from Deuteronomy reminds the people that in the desert the word of God was made known to the Hebrews through Moses. When they settled down in the Promised Land, they would learn the will of God through the prophets and holy men that God would raise in their midst. The people lived in fear of God and did not wish to see or hear God face to face. They wanted the prophets to speak in the place of God. God acceded to their request and said to Moses "I will raise up a prophet like yourself for them from their own brothers; I will put my words into his mouth and he shall speak to them all I command him." What was expected of the people was that they listen to the prophet as they listened to God. We could ask ourselves: Are their prophetic voices in our midst today? Can we discern their presence among us?Deeds should precede words
A man was out walking in the early morning. The sky was clear all over. At a certain point he heard the noise of a jet plane. He stopped to see if he could locate it. In his search he was guided by the sound, which seemed to be coming from directly above. That was his mistake. He searched there, but found no plane. Then he saw a trail of vapour in the sky. By following this trail to its origin he found the plane - a tiny silver triangle, which was barely visible against the canopy of blue. The plane was away out there in the front, whereas the sound was still only overhead. But that sound was loud enough to awaken the dead. In a manner of speaking, the plane acted first and spoke later. Ideally this is how it should always be -deeds should precede words.
Flor McCarthy in 'New Sunday & Holy Day Liturgies'In the second reading Paul continues preaching on the theme of our being single-minded in our duties towards God. As Christians we should devote ourselves primarily to the Lord's affairs. All that we need to worry about is doing everything that is pleasing to God. In this connection Paul suggests that those who are celibate should be even more focused on God, as they do not have the preoccupations and concerns and responsibilities of married persons. We cannot serve two masters God needs our undivided attention.In the gospel of Mark we are introduced to the two activities that characterized the ministry of Jesus: preaching the good news and the casting of demons. We note that as soon as the Sabbath came Jesus went with his disciples to the synagogue. It is not surprising that a traveling teacher would be asked to supply the day's homily on the sacred texts of the day. Jesus preached but his preaching was different from other rabbis, who generally would quote extensively from a number of reputable scholars from the past. Mark does not tell us what Jesus preached but that his preaching made a deep impression on his listeners. He spoke with authority and his authority came not from other authorities he quoted but from his own convictions and experience. There was freshness in what Jesus said and it had a ring of authenticity that came from his own being. It was a sermon that was actually alive. The man himself was the message.Speaking with authority
Once a number of orthodox rabbis gathered for a festivity, and each began to boast of his eminent rabbinical ancestors. However there was one exception -a man by the name of Abram. The son of a simple baker, Abram possessed some forthright qualities of a man of the people. At a certain point each rabbi was asked to hold forth on a text culled from the sayings of one of his distinguished ancestors. One rabbi after another delivered their learned dissertations. At last it came time for Abram to say something. He rose and said, "My father was a baker. He taught me that only fresh bread was appetizing, and that I must avoid stale bread at all costs. This can also apply to teaching." And with that he sat down.
Flor McCarthy in 'New Sunday & Holy day Liturgies'But while the people listened to the message of Jesus there was not full acceptance of his message by all. In the synagogue there was a man possessed by an unclean spirit, which tried to disrupt the preaching of Jesus. Here we get a first inkling of the power-struggle between good and evil, which took place when God encountered man in the person of Jesus Christ. This struggle continues to take place every time goodness confronts evil. Mark was writing for the community of Christians who were faced with a parallel question in their own lives. How can we claim to be following a loving and powerful God in the footsteps of Jesus Christ if what we are experiencing is persecution, struggle and the danger of death? Now in the synagogue itself they see that the evil spirits are threatened by the presence of goodness in the person of Jesus."The poor man who was possessed represented the world at large under the power of the evil one. The evil spirit reacted in two ways: through magical incantations and violent frenzy. In calling out on Jesus as the Holy One of God, the evil spirit was attempting to gain magical power over Jesus by calling out his secret name, or unmasking him. .....The second tactic of the devil was to throw the man into violent convulsions. Diabolical power shows up in the confusion of true belief, in resorting to violence and destruction, in frenzy and loud cacophony." -Silvester O'FlynnJesus' response was: "Be quiet." God's power is gentle, for he is the source of peace. With authority he urges the evil one to leave the possessed man. "Come out of him." And the spirit threw the man into convulsions and with a loud cry went out of him. God's word is always efficacious and has a profound effect on us. The people in Capernaum were deeply impressed and astounded at what they heard and saw and started asking what it all meant. Astonishment and wonder open up the mind to the possibility of a greater world beyond what we perceive and understand superficially. The journey of faith often begins in an honest search for meaning or in that openness of mind that sees the wonders of everyday life.What does this mean?
In the 1970s the movie The Exorcist was breaking box-office records. It concerned a young person who was possessed by an evil spirit, not unlike the one in today's gospel. The movie was based on an actual case of a 14-year old-boy who lived in Mt. Rainer, Maryland in 1949. Newsweek described the case this way: "Pictures, chairs and the boy's bed would suddenly move about. At night, the boy could barely sleep. After he was admitted to Georgetown University Hospital... the boy began to mouth fierce curses in ancient languages and at one point, while strapped helplessly in his bed, long red scratches appeared on his body." The boy eventually survived an exorcism and now lives in the Washington D.C. area. An old priest involved in the boy's exorcism has taken a vow not to discuss it. He does say, however, that the experience dramatically changed his life for the better. - Like the people in today's gospel, we too ask, "What does this mean?" What is the deeper meaning behind Jesus' power to expel evil spirits?....... It means that the deeper meaning behind Jesus' exorcism is that the kingdom of Satan, which enslaved people since Adam's sin, is now giving way to the kingdom of God.
Mark Link in 'Sunday Homilies'May we wonder and marvel at the ways of God in our daily lives!Fr. Jude Botelho
www.netforlife.netPS. The stories, incidents and anecdotes used in the reflections have been collected over the years from books as well as from sources over the net and from e-mails received. Every effort is made to acknowledge authors whenever possible. If you send in stories or illustrations I would be grateful if you could quote the source as well so that they can be acknowledged if used in these reflections. These reflections are also available on my web site www.netforlife.net Thank you.
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