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| “Jesus Casts out Unclear Spirit” by Gillem van der Gouwen, 1728 |
Reading 1: Hebrews 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.
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Commentary on Heb 2:5-12
This passage from Hebrews contains a very complex
and important understanding of the nature of Christ. In the beginning we hear
it was not the angels that were sent to rule the earth, refuting a false teaching.
Then that humbling phrase; “What is man that you are mindful of him, or the son
of man that you care for him?” God set mankind to rule the
earth and, for a while, sent his only Son to be in that state – lower than the
angels, and suffer death for everyone. This
classic passage from Hebrews is foundational to our understanding of Christ
Jesus, true God and true man.
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Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 8:2ab
and 5, 6-7, 8-9
R. (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.
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Commentary on Ps 8:2ab and 5, 6-7, 8-9
Psalm 8 is another of the
songs of thanksgiving. In this selection
we hear the title “son of man” used. It
is, in this instance referring to the people as opposed to Jesus. The psalmist expresses humility felt by those
who find God’s limitless power and love unfathomable. The song reflects on the
creation account from Genesis and how God gave man dominion over the life he
had created.
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Gospel: Mark 1:21-28
Jesus came to Capernaum
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 .
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Commentary on Mk 1:21-28
Jesus is teaching in the
synagogue at Capernaum Capernaum
He encounters an “unclean
spirit” so called because it does not recognize the authority of God. Jesus
commands the spirit to leave and it obeys, God in the person of Christ, after
all, has authority over all things. In this way we see once more the assurance
that Jesus is true God. The exchange between the Lord and this “unclean spirit”
is instructive. The spirit attempts to gain mastery over Jesus by using his
full name “Jesus of Nazareth.” The address “I know you are – the Holy One of
God!” is an attempt to ward off the power of Jesus not a profession. Jesus
rebukes the spirit and orders it out. The event stirs fear in as well as awe in
those present.
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Reflection:
Sacred Scripture calls us to
humility and thanksgiving today.
“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.” (Hebrews 2:6-8)
For those who would demand
political correctness we can substitute “mankind” for “man”, the inclusive
language makes it all the more powerful a concept. The question points out the fact that we,
even God’s faithful ones, do not earn the salvation that flows through the Son
of God. It is not by some special merit or
privilege that Jesus was sent to us.
Rather it was out of the profound love, beyond all understanding, that
God sent his Only Begotten Son so that we might come to understand what awaits
us if we remain faithful to him.
When he came to us even those
who believed that God was the One God, Creator of All, did not understand his nature. They saw only the God of Justice revealed in
the Law of Moses. They understood mere
fragments of his relationship to the people he loved. Scripture shows us how the Lord changed that
flawed and incomplete vision.
At Capernaum
We consider for a moment the
meaning of that miracle. Jesus, out of
love, cast out the unclean spirit. He
transformed the will of one so corrupted by the Evil One that he had become a
danger to the gift of life God had given and a danger to the children of God
with whom he had contact. In that act,
the vacuum left by the spirit departing was filled by the Holy Spirit. A new tenant had taken up residence in the
home God had created for that purpose.
To those observing, such a
radical transformation must have been positively stupefying. One they had known to be poison to the
community was suddenly reunited, his outward character completely changed. We have seen it in others, have we not? Those who have undergone a radical and swift
conversion suddenly seem to have become another person. This is what the people at Capernaum
For us, it is but one more
proof of the depth of love God has for us.
It is also an example of what can happen when the spirit of evil departs
and Christ is allowed to enter the home of the soul where he wants to
abide. Our prayer today is that we can
open our own soul to Jesus so the Lord may fully reside within us. We also pray that our words and actions might
encourage others to become open to that same Holy Spirit.
Pax
[2]
The picture used today is “Jesus Casts out Unclear Spirit” by Gillem van der
Gouwen, 1728
[3]
The readings are taken from the New American Bible with the exception of the
Psalm and its response which were developed by the International Committee for
English in Liturgy (ICEL). This
re-publication is not authorized by USCCB and is for private use only.
[4]
See NAB footnote on MK 1:21-45
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