Tuesday January 12

First Week In Ordinary Time

 

GOD’S SAVING POWER

 

Introduction

      Though Jesus emptied himself of all privileges as God or, as the Letter to the Hebrews says, was made lower than the angels to join us in our wounded humanity – he who was without sin passed through death; his suffering was the way to glory for him and for us. But his power could not be hidden, when he spoke with authority and was leading a great number of brothers and sister to glory.

      In the gospel, Mark shows the power of God at work in Jesus, the Messiah. It is a power that is contested by the powers of evil, that must struggle and come to grip with contradiction and suffering, but which will ultimately win – through struggle and contradiction. Such is also the power of God today in the world, the power of God in answer to our faith and prayer.

 

Opening Prayer

God, source of all power,
we like to imagine that we can do great things,
but when it comes to your work,
to your kingdom of truth and justice,
we have to recognize, perhaps grudgingly,
that we are weak and ineffective.
Help us to acknowledge this weakness
not as defeat, but as our real strength,
to let your power reveal itself
in suffering, in struggles,
and in gentleness and love,
which you show us in Jesus Christ,
your Son and our Lord for ever.

 

Reading 1: Heb 2:5-12

It was not to angels that God subjected the world to come,
of which we are speaking.
Instead, someone has testified somewhere:

What is man that you are mindful of him,
or the son of man that you care for him?
You made him for a little while lower than the angels;
you crowned him with glory and honor,
subjecting all things under his feet.

In “subjecting” all things to him,
he left nothing not “subject to him.”
Yet at present we do not see “all things subject to him,”
but we do see Jesus “crowned with glory and honor”
because he suffered death,
he who “for a little while” was made “lower than the angels,”
that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone.

For it was fitting that he,
for whom and through whom all things exist,
in bringing many children to glory,
should make the leader to their salvation perfect through suffering.
He who consecrates
and those who are being consecrated all have one origin.
Therefore, he is not ashamed to call them “brothers” saying:

I will proclaim your name to my brethren,
in the midst of the assembly I will praise you.

 

Responsorial Psalm: Ps 8:2ab and 5, 6-7, 8-9

(see 7) You have given your Son rule over the works of your hands.
O LORD, our Lord,
how glorious is your name over all the earth!
What is man that you should be mindful of him,
or the son of man that you should care for him?
R. You have given your Son rule over the works of your hands.
You have made him little less than the angels,
and crowned him with glory and honor.
You have given him rule over the works of your hands,
putting all things under his feet.
R. You have given your Son rule over the works of your hands.
All sheep and oxen,
yes, and the beasts of the field,
The birds of the air, the fishes of the sea,
and whatever swims the paths of the seas.
R. You have given your Son rule over the works of your hands.

 

Alleluia: 1 Thes 2:13

Alleluia, alleluia.
Receive the word of God, not as the word of men,
but as it truly is, the word of God.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

 

Gospel: Mk 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.

 

Intercessions:

–         That in the Church, we may bring to one another the healing of forgiveness and compassion, we pray:

–         That all who are ill may keep hoping that they will be cured and that at least they may bear their suffering in patience, we pray:

–         That in our communities, we may consider it our task to share each other’s pain and to lighten each other’s burden, we pray:

 

Prayer over the Gifts

Almighty God and Father,
through this bread and this wine
you want Jesus, your Son, to join us today
in our struggle to be free
as disciples who serve you and our neighbor.
Let him drive out from us
the rebellious spirit of pride and selfishness
and fill us with his good spirit,
the Holy Spirit of love and strength,
that with your Son, we may be yours,
now and for ever.

 

Prayer after Communion

Lord our God, we are afraid
of struggles and pain,
of weakness and apparent defeat.
Keep reminding us, not harshly but gently,
that this was the way of your Son
and that this is the way in which you always win.
And if we do not understand fully,
help us to grow in faith and trust
in your own plan for success
and in your Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord.

 

Blessing

Jesus was teaching with authority. Why? Because he fully believed in what he said and backed up his teaching with signs. Perhaps the greatest sign was that he lived what he taught. May we too, live as we believe, with the blessing of Almighty God, the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

 

Commentary

Today’s gospel repeats that “Jesus spoke with authority. We can ask ourselves what is the point of this “speaking with authority” which transformed and changed people, the healed the sick and those possessed by unclean spirits. In that show of authority Jesus reveals himself as Master, Friend and Lord. Let’s try to see him.

Jesus is teaching in the synagogue. His authority fills not just the place but each person there. His authority and teaching reveal the truth about his listeners’ lives. They are astounded by his presence and teaching. His words mean something. They make a difference.

There comes a man with an unclean spirit. He is disturbed by the Word of God – the man who has the Holy Spirit and questions him: “What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us?” The possessed man speaks in plural – What have you to do with US? Have you come to destroy US? He speaks not only for himself but for all those in the synagogue that day. He represents every one who has ever experienced the brokenness of life. He is the spokesperson for all who feel disconnected from God.

He represents the human condition. He is an image of what the lives of all those in the synagogue look like. His uncleanness is not about personal hygiene, immorality, or being bad. Instead, he describes the fragmented lives of those gathered in the synagogue, and the many voices within them.

And how does Jesus answer to this question “What have you to do with us”? Jesus says, “Everything. I have everything to do with you.” Those are the words that can begin to put his life back together. Jesus has everything to do with us. He stands before us as the mirror image of who we can become. There is no aspect of our life about which he is not concerned. He calls us back into the beauty and wholeness of our original creation, the one made in the image and likeness of God.

Before his authoritative words, the powers of evil succumbed. That is why the reading of Sacred Scripture in our eucharistic celebrations is never considered to be just any reading, replaceable or dispensable, but rather a liturgical celebration. This explains why we listen to the Gospel standing up, as if Christ himself were speaking.

For every voice that denies Jesus and cries, “What have you do to with us?” Jesus says, “Shhh! Be quiet. That’s not who you are. You are mine and I have everything to do with you.” Listen to that voice and you too will be astounded at what can become of your life.