Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Mk 1:21-28
January 28, 2024

Worth remembering: This week’s Gospel was NOT written by Stephen King, but by Mark the Evangelist.

Giving too much attention to an “unclean spirit, convulsing and crying out” could tempt some to go all “Hollywood” in their reflections on today’s Gospel. The focus, it certainly seems to me, should be on the power and authority of God’s Eternal Word made Flesh…Jesus Christ. What could possibly be more dramatic? What could possibly be more important?

Last week’s celebration of “Word of God Sunday” as well as the Church’s ongoing call to Eucharistic Revival help us to push the “unclean spirit” to the background (where it belongs) and to bring The Lord center stage. And where Jesus goes…there is always room for us.

It is important to note that the unfortunate person playing host to this “unclean spirit,” did not come roaring into the Synagogue like a monster from the outside. As reported, it would seem that he was a member of the community, looking, and possibly even acting just like his neighbors. I wonder if he might not even have been a scribe…or religious leader?

What we know for certain is that the victim of this “unclean spirit” recognized Jesus. The realization of Who stood before him triggered a violent reaction. The man railed against the teaching which The Lord delivered “with the authority” of the Holy Spirit.

Then, in His first display of Divine Power and Authority recorded in Mark’s Gospel, Jesus liberated the man from the dark feelings that had invaded him.

Where Jesus goes, there is always room for us. So, let’s put ourselves into this drama.

The Lord is most definitely present in the Eucharist. Through the proclamation of The Gospel, Jesus teaches us with the very same power and authority that was evident on that Sabbath day in Capernaum, when He stood before a congregation of the faithful…in the Flesh.

So, the question becomes: How do I react to the Liturgy of the Word? Am I astonished and amazed by what I hear? Do feelings of peace and joy and hope stir within me? Energized by what I have heard, am I anxious to make the Word take my flesh…and live it?

Or…even though I recognize the power and authority of The Word…is there some unclean spirit…some darkness within me…that resists or even rails against The Gospel? Make no mistake about it, anger, resentment, envy, prejudice, pride, and arrogance are just some of the ways that we are rendered “unclean.”

The Good News is simply this: Jesus has NOT come to destroy us. Quite the contrary. The Lord is present to us, especially in the Eucharist, so that we might become all that God created us to be.

Through The Word and The Sacrament, we experience healing, forgiveness, peace, and freedom. Then we are sent out into the world, and those who encounter us should be astonished and amazed at seeing us…because…if we have allowed the Eucharist to do its work…we are an image of Christ.

I have one final thing to share. When I left parish ministry and became a “senior priest” in the Diocese of Saginaw, I was concerned that I might not have the opportunity to “Break open the Word of God” …PREACH…on a regular basis. My fear was that, because I would not be putting in the time and effort…and prayer and reflection…required of a homilist, a distance might develop between myself and The Good News. So, I approached the Sisters of St. Clare of Saginaw with the suggestion that I make a weekly contribution to their existing web page. With that, The Sunday Journal came into being.

Almost 10 years have passed since this joint effort to spread the Gospel began. So much has happened in our Diocese, in our Church, in our nation and world, and in each of our lives since then. Every week, I have been amazed at how the Sunday Scripture passages somehow have offered insight, encouragement, inspiration, and hope even in the darkest of times. I personally look to Scripture for TRUTH…which, during this past decade, seems to have become an “endangered species.”

Among the changes, the Sisters have relocated from Saginaw to a new home in Wheaton, Illinois. For my part, my concerns were unfounded. Most Sundays, I am called to preside and preach in a parish here in the Diocese of Saginaw when the priest/pastor is away.

Being a “traveling preacher” has afforded me the opportunity to see how important it is for a community, on occasion, to hear a different voice, offering a different perspective regarding the unparalleled beauty of Scripture. And so, as of The First Sunday in Lent, I am stepping aside and turning this “online pulpit” over to a new voice. The Sisters will make an introduction to you in the coming weeks.

Let me conclude by sharing a quotation from theologian and Scripture scholar Monika Hellwig, which she wrote after reflecting on and praying with this Sunday’s Readings.

Saint Paul seems to be concerned with different kinds and degrees of authority, and he also evidently thinks of Jesus Christ as the one whose teaching makes the deep impression, because, unlike those who are learned from human sources, he teaches with messianic authority, which is the power of the Holy Spirit – power to touch and transform everything in creation.
Amen!