🙏 SUNDAY INSIGHTS - THE FOURTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME 🙏

First Reading - Deuteronomy 18:15-20 

Second Reading - 1 Corinthians 7:32-35 

Gospel - Mark 1:21-28

Antiochus IV Ephiphanes, King of Syria, had a great interest in Egypt. He amassed an army and invaded that country in 168 B.C. To his deep humiliation the Romans ordered him home. They did not send an army to oppose him; such was the might of Rome that they did not need to. They sent a senator called Popilius Laena with a small and quite unarmed suite. Popilius and Antiochus met on the boundaries of Egypt. They talked; they both knew Rome and they had been friendly. Then very gently Popilius told Antiochus that Rome did not wish him to proceed with the campaign and wished him to go home. Antiochus said he would consider it. Popilius took the staff he was carrying and drew a circle in the sand round about Antiochus. Quietly he said, “Consider it now; you will give me your decision before you leave that circle.” Antiochus thought for a moment and realized that to defy Rome was impossible. “I will go home,” he said. It was a shattering humiliation for a king. But that was the power and the authority of the Roman Caesars. In today’s Gospel we hear of another man who exercised authority — not the authority of brute power that subjugated people, but the power that comes from God. His authority was different from anyone else. His authority was Divine.

The readings of the day remind us that we should have a “listening heart” (Gospel), instead of a “hardened heart” (Responsorial Psalm) or “divided heart” (Second reading) to welcome the authoritative word of God.

Today’s first reading tells us that a true prophet like Moses speaks with authority because it is God Who speaks through him. After the Babylonian exile, the Jewish priests began to interpret the words of Moses given in the first reading, namely, “a prophet like me,” as referring to one individual, the expected Messiah. This passage is chosen for today’s first reading because it refers to Jesus, the “preacher with authority,” mentioned in today’s Gospel. The response for today’s Responsorial Psalm, (Ps 95), speaks of not hardening our hearts when we hear God’s authoritative voice through the Scripture and the Church’s teaching authority. 

In the second reading, St. Paul exercises his God-given authority as the Apostle to the Gentiles to teach people in Corinth that marriage is a holy state ordained by God and that it is a life-long partnership according to the teaching of the Lord. But he opts for, and recommends, celibacy, so that one may serve the Lord without the distractions of married life. 

In today’s Gospel, Mark describes one sample Sabbath day of Jesus’ public life. Jesus joins in public worship in the synagogue as a practicing Jew, heals the sick, drives out evil spirits and prays privately. People immediately notice that Jesus teaches with authority and heals with Divine power. Jesus explains the Scriptures with complete confidence, and when questioned by people, he answers with authority. Jesus is using his real (authentic) Divine authority to teach, empower, liberate, and heal others. In today’s Gospel, the evil spirit recognizes and loudly declares Jesus as the Messiah. By his simple, if harsh, command, “Be quiet! Come out of him,” Jesus exorcises the demon who departs, obedient to His Divine authority.

Dear friends, we need to approach Jesus for liberation. Jesus did not use his authority and Divine power to rule and control people, but to set them free. Hence, let us approach Jesus with trusting Faith so that he may free us from the evil spirits that keep us from praying and that prevent us from loving others and sharing our blessings with them. Jesus also frees us from all the “evil spirits” of fear, jealousy, anger, envy, addictions, compulsions, selfishness, resentment, and hostility. May God free us from all those spirits which make us deaf, dumb, blind, lame, and paralyzed, physically and spiritually.

We need to use our God-given authority to build up lives. So many people with authority have made a lasting impression on our lives either for good or ill. Perhaps it was a grandparent, an uncle, or a parent, who loved us and cared for us. Perhaps it was a Sunday school teacher who encouraged us in our Faith and exerted a positive impact on our lives. Perhaps we remember the kindness as well as the firm discipline that a schoolteacher gave us. Teachers are powerful because they change and mold lives. Hence, let us all become good teachers like Jesus and use our authority to mould young lives in the right way.