4th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Cycle B, Year I)
Community Word: Disciples of Christ speak with authority by the power of God’s word.
Theme: As disciples of Christ we speak with God’s authority when our minds and hearts are soaked in His words and in His teaching.
Promise: “I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their kin, and will put my words into his mouth; he shall tell them all that I command him.” (Deut 18:18)
Reflection:
The gospel reading of the week is an example of the kind of faith Jesus has in His Father. A man possessed by an unclean spirit, on seeing Jesus, shrieked, “What do you want of 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,” (Mk 1: 24 – 26).
What can we learn from this? When we believe in God, we become strong because the power of God is in our heart, giving us strength. With faith in God’s strength, we are able to overcome difficulties. We are aware that God lives in our hearts. We are able, even in the face of great problems, to remain calm, even joyful!
The gospel shows how Jesus captivated His listeners because He taught with authority. This authority in speech is reinforced by something even more impressive – the authority of mighty deeds. Because of this, Jesus amazed and mystified His listeners. He was a special kind of teacher. His Words were not merely eloquent, they were powerful utterances that changed the lives of people. Jesus transformed the course of the lives of those listening to Him. He fixed their lives and gave them reason to continue living, as in the case of the man He freed from demonic possession. His words are powerful, striking and effective. Indeed, Jesus is the Word of God in person. Our word for the month –“Disciples of Christ speak with authority by the power of God’s word” sums up the gospel reading.
The main lesson we draw from today’s gospel is that Jesus is more powerful than the evil one, and as long as we place our trust in Him, in the sovereign authority of His Word as “the Holy One of God”, we have nothing to fear. Each passing day brings the evil ones to their ultimate defeat and each passing day brings us closer to our ultimate victory.
Like the disciples who learned what it was to be taught by the Greatest Teacher of all, and inherited the power of His words, we too, can be instruments of transformation for the people who come to hear the Good News from us. Jesus’ authority summons us to a higher kind of spirituality. By that authority, we are called to become holy and to strive for perfection, challenged to disturb the comfortable and complacent. Jesus continues to renew our lives and that of the world. Through His powerful words, we experience His actions and we begin to comprehend His way of working in our lives. Let us live out our theme of the week by soaking our hearts and minds in his words and teachings that we may speak with His authority. To achieve this, it is necessary to have a personal hunger for the Word of God – the Bible. While not all of us may have the gift of memorizing verses, we all need to know the word of God in the Bible. It is the pillar of our faith, and has been romantically called “God’s love letter to all humanity.”
With obedient faith let us persevere in following the directions for this month: “Immerse yourself in the Word of the Lord and the teachings of the church; and be enriched with the Word of God to stand firm in your commitment to the Lord”. As we do, God promised us these words from Deuteronomy: “I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their kin and will put my words into his mouth. He shall tell them that I command him,” (Deut 18:18).
Prayer:
Our Great Teacher, continue to guide us as we endeavor to be powerful teachers and as we commit ourselves to sharing the Good News and Your truth to those around us. May we embrace this calling and gain strength from the love, encouragement and wisdom that You bring to our lives. May the power of your Word give us more confidence to do great things for our God, for your name sake and greater honor and glory. Amen
Reflection Questions:
1. How seriously do we take Jesus’ call of self-surrender that He may use us for the welfare of our lost brothers and sisters?
2. In our daily walk with the Lord, what do we strive to do to deepen our knowledge of God’s word in the bible?
This Week’s Daily Mass Reading Guide:
February 1, 2015 (Sun) Dt 18:15-20/Ps 95:1-2,6-7,7-9/1Cor 7: 32-35/Mk 1:21-28
February 2, 2015 (Mon) Mal 3:1-4/Ps 24:7,8,9,10/Heb 2:14-18/Lk 2:22-40 or 2:22-32
February 3, 2015 (Tue) Heb 12:1-4/Ps 22:26-27,28,30,31-32/Mk 5:21-43
February 4, 2015 (Wed) Heb 12:4-7,11-15/Ps 103:P1-2,13-14,17-18/Mk 6:1-6
February 5, 2015 (Thur) Heb 12:18-19,21-24/Ps 48:2-3,3-4,9,10-11/Mk 6:7-13
February 6, 2015 (Fri) Heb 13:1-8/Ps 27:1,3,5,8-9/Mk 6:14-29
February 7, 2015 (Sat) Heb 13:15-17,20-21/Ps 23:1-3,3-4,5,6/Mk 6:30-34
“Ignorance of the Bible is ignorance of Christ. Read your Bible daily!”
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