Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Mark 1:21-28

 

“What is this?  A new teaching with authority.” Mark 1:29

 

          Two things stand out for me in this passage.  First, the word authority.  When we think of that word we think of someone who is credentialed.  Someone whose position, title and/or training gives them the authority to do or command something.   A police officer has the authority to pull me over, a civilian does not.   Indeed, the Greek word used in scripture – exousia -  conveys this idea.

          One of the lines in this passage that throws me, therefore is “… he taught them as one having authority and not as the scribes.”  Wait a minute.  Weren’t the scribes the ones with authority?  After all, they were the ones charged with copying, preserving and teaching the Law.

          Later on the congregation says about Jesus, “What is this?  A new teaching with authority.”  So Jesus is saying something different than what the scribes usually teach.  Yet, Jesus is not credentialed. (At least not to this crowd.  Not yet.  We, of course, know that Jesus is credentialed because of his position and title:  Son of God, Messiah, the Christ.  But in this passage he is still simply just one in the congregation.)  So the use of the word “authority” here, to me, means “truth.”  Whatever Jesus is teaching in the synagogue on this particular day (and the passage is silent about that) is something that resonates with this congregation.  Although they are used to being told what the truth is because the Scribes (the authority) tell them, now they know and feel the truth in their hearts because what Jesus says makes sense to them, it has authenticity – or “authority.”

          And we see the congregation appreciating Jesus’ authority (though they do not yet know him as Son of God, Messiah, the Christ) because they see “… even unclean spirits…obey him.”  Jesus must be authentic as even one with an unclean spirit is afraid of him (“Have you come to destroy us?”) and knows who Jesus really is (“I know who you are – you are the Holy One of God!”)

          The other thing that stands out for me is that this man possessed with an unclean spirit is there in the synagogue with the congregation.  Compare this to the man with the unclean spirits who “… had been dwelling among the tombs, and no one could restrain him, not even with a chain.”  Mark 5:3

It is more difficult for me to identify with the man wandering among the tombs.  This man, however, who sits in the synagogue although he is possessed with unclean spirits – well, he’s a lot more identifiable to me.  What is this man doing there in the synagogue?  Well, sometimes I feel, “What I am doing in church?” I’m a sinner.  I have my own demons and doubts and fears and failures to contend with.  But I go to church with all my sins and failings because I seek the “truth.”  I seek God and all that God means:  mercy, forgiveness, healing, hope, strength, comfort.  In a word – divine love.

          And how often do I hear the “truth” from those with apparent authority, but it does not resonate, but then I hear the “truth” from one who may not seem to have authority, yet what they say and do makes sense, it is authentic.  Through them I truly hear Jesus.

          The man with an unclean spirit sat in the synagogue and heard the scribes.  Yet, his unclean spirit remained.  The same man heard Jesus’ words, and his unclean spirit “…came out of him.”

 

Authority.

 

          What about me?  When my unclean spirits are cast out (though they may return) what is it, or who is it that compels them?  To put it another way, when do I truly hear Jesus?

          Much to ponder about.  Much to pray about.

 

“Call me Ishamel”

 

 

 

Never Ending Love.

     In this weeks gospel Mark 1: 14-20 Jesus begins to gather his disciples.  We have heard  the term “Fishers of Men” but let’s look into what that  can mean. I believe Jesus used the term to let his disciples know what they were going to be doing. They understood fishing and Jesus has a way of meeting you right where you are.  These fishermen were going to be responsible for gathering a new group of people  to spread the word of God. I’ve gone fishing just a few times. What can remember is that even though it was for fun  it takes plenty of work. You have to do a certain amount of work to catch a fish.    They don’t just  jump on your fishing rod. You have to make an effort.  Now, when Jesus spoke of fishing  it  was more than recreational. It was about survival. In those times, as a fishermen,  no fish  may have meant no dinner.  So when  Jesus said “Fishers of Men”  maybe he was saying that gathering people to follow him was going to take work, It wasn't just  any kind of work. It was work that we need to do as if our life depened on it.  

    Discipleship wasn’t  something you took lightly. It meant to do exactly what Andrew Simon and Andrew did.  Drop everything and follow. Follow blindly but with faith.  Being a disciple was an immediate decision you didn’t get to wait until “Monday” or a better time. It  meant that if God called now you went now. It meant giving your life in exchange for the life that God wants for you.    Back then before the church it was just Jesus and the word of God.   To give up your life and all that you love for  Jesus back then is no small task.  That is the  power  of God.  Who else can get that type of dedication? If you consider the world that the disciples lived in back then I believe only Jesus and the word of God can command that type of loyalty. 

    Today as followers we are called to sacrifice  as did the original disciples.   We are called to exchange what we want for what God wants.  Have you ever considered what God wants from your life? Have you ever considered what type of person God wants you to be. What behaviors or actions does God want from you? These are the questions that a follower of Christs can ask.  Just as the disciples  made immediate decisions  to follow  Jesus we are  also called to stop the procrastination. Stop waiting for a better week  to attend Sunday Mass. Stop letting days go by without prayer.  Being with the lord is an immediate decision and that takes place in your heart.  You don’t need the right conditions. The conditions will never be right. What is right is the Lord. God is always right. That's discipleship thinking. No questions to ask.  You just need to decide. Are you going to fish?

    As a disciple we are the Fishers of Men and responsible for  gospel and how it’s shared.  I have found  for me, that being a true Christian means sharing how you follow Christ with others. It means letting others know how you worship and pray. It also means  letting  the people in your life know about your struggles and how God has brought you through them.   Our walk with Christ isn’t going to be perfect but that’s why we have grace.  As Fishers we  get to share the highs and lows of our relationship with Christ.  That’s how we spread the word. We spread the word by sharing our experiences. Our tests become our testimony.  Welcome the good and bad times of life.  They are our talking points.  They are proof that God has touched our lives.  Let the world witness what Christ has done for you. As a Christian we know good times pass. Yes, those good times do come to an end. We also know that bad times pass. Those tough times  come and go just like the waves of the ocean. It's your relationship with Christ that will never end.  

St. Andrew the Bringer

 

This Sunday's Gospel reading is John 1:35-42.  The story tells us about St. Andrew bringing his brother Simon to Jesus and explaining to Simon that Jesus is The Messiah.

I love St. Andrew.  He is sometimes called "St. Andrew the Bringer".  What an important role, to bring people to Jesus.  

It may be the most important thing we can do for another person, bring them to Jesus.  When we say that Jesus "calls" someone to Himself, very often we are the tool Jesus uses to pry that person loose from where they were.  

Once someone is brought to Jesus, He can take it from there.  That doesn't mean that we don't continue to support people in their journey once they are brought to Jesus, but from the point on the person will never be the same.  How things evolve from there may be different for different people, but we have been part of the crucial first step, brining someone to Jesus.

Let us pray to St. Andrew the Bringer to ask him to help us be that tool to bring people to Jesus and support them in their relationship with Him.

Peace be with you.

- The Older Brother 

 

CALLED TO THE RIVER

Sunday 7 January 2024

Mark 1: 7-11

 

O’ Lord, grateful I am to You for allowing this outcast to be summoned to the river of anointing.

Lord, I heard the footsteps of those before me, yet hesitated to follow their lead to the water.

Glory to the Divine Call!

 

Lord, something is pulling me to this unfamiliar place where crowds gather in a hushed silence.

Reluctantly, I am in their midst and being called into the river by a man emboldened by You,

Praise to Adonai the Mighty!

 

O’ Lord, as my body is immersed by hands of might, I emerge cleansed and purified somehow.

The heavy weight of my sin is lifted, and I am a new creature of the God Almighty.

Glory to the God of Restoration!

 

But now, Yeshua is being baptized with water to begin a radical, unprecedented baptism of fire.

“Straightway there descends a dove white as snow, bearing in its beak an ampulla full of chrism sent from heaven.” Joan of Arc - citation.

 

O’ Spirit of the Father -reign down on me.

O’ Spirit of Christ – call out to me.

O’ Spirit of Truth – embrace me tightly.

O’ Spirit of Holiness – fill me completely.

O’ Spirit of Adoption – provide me shelter.

O’ Spirit of grace – quench my thirst.

O’ Spirit of Glory -revive my spirit.

Keep Praying, my friends!

                                                                                                     The Pilgrim.