FOURTH SUNDAY OF THE YEAR - B

FOURTH SUNDAY OF THE YEAR – B
(Deut 18:15-20; 1 Corinthians 7:32-35; Mark 1: 21-28)
Theme: We are the Consecrated Possession of the Lord: Let us remember and live this dignity of our Christian Vocation

Reflection

- As we enter into the fourth Sunday of the Ordinary Time of the Liturgical Year, we have to once again remind ourselves of our identity and dignity as Christians: We are the Consecrated Possession of the Lord and we have to live as belonging to him alone as his anointed and redeemed children.
- We are moving in our journey towards perfect communion and fellowship/friendship of our Lord Jesus Christ and in this journey, as Pope Benedict XVI says, we are not alone. In fact, Jesus will not leave us alone on our way but he is with us and he keeps walking with us always making us remember our unity with him and this is our dignity of Christian mission: we walk towards him but with the same presence of him.
- We connect ourselves and our present situation with the past in which we have promised our faith in Baptism and with the future in which we become fully participants in the eternal habilitation with God in Glory. With this aspect of continuity let us remember also what we have reflected last week and connect it for today and see how it has effect for tomorrow too.
- Last Sunday we have mediated upon our ever ready availability in the camp of Jesus by synthesizing whole reflection into a theme: “The time of the world is completed. It is time for us to enter into the working field of Jesus with the total conversion and with the committed belief to the good news of the Kingdom of God”. This reminds us that we are full of ‘the presence of the Spirit’ in the conversion of our heart and life and we are also full of ‘the presence of the Word’ in the acceptance of the gospel proclaimed. With this power of the Word (Jesus Christ) and with the power of the Spirit (Holy Spirit) in and with us we become enriched and encouraged in our path towards fulfilling our Christian mission with ease and with enthusiasm.
- All the readings of today give us today the same message that “we have to bear in mind our identity and our dignity of being God’s beloved and consecrated possession.” Let us enter into the readings to understand this deeply and to carry with us the fruit that provides for us as the spiritual nutriment.

First Reading
The Prophet is the ‘Word and Action’ of God and Jesus is that High and Eternal Prophet of God

- God promises a Future Prophet through Moses:
o This passage is to be read in the light of messianic tradition of Judaism and in this background it points out to the ideal face of the prophet (the efficacious presence) and his special and powerful task in the confrontations with the other political-religious institutions of the people of Israel (that is of the king, the priest, the Levite and the judge).
o Prophet is the ‘spokesperson’ of God himself. With this immediate divinely natured aspect, the prophet is closer to the God’s mission in the world than other departments as we have seen such as king, as priest and as judge. He speaks for God or more aptly, it is God who speaks through him. the prophet is the ‘voice’ of God and the ‘word’ of God.
o The internal structure of his mission as the prophet has its ‘anchor’ in God himself. It is not his personal choice or will but it is the will of the one who sends. The foundation, therefore, for the prophecy is God himself; as long as he acts and lives as ‘Voice’ of God, even his words and his actions are so potent and so efficacious and so creative as the words of God himself. Therefore, the word of God and the prophet of God become one in nature because the prophet has not his life or rather, he does not live for himself anymore but lives for God and lives for his word.
o God promises this kind of prophet in the future who becomes the ‘Word of God’ in human word and in human action with the divine flavor and fragrance. This promise which was made by God through the Moses is perfectly realized in the person of Jesus Christ, the Word-Incarnate of God, ‘the Voice and Work’ of God, which has manifested in the authentic and authoritative teaching which has the capacity of renovating the recipient (Gospel). This promise is made by God in the words: ‘I will rise up one prophet from among his people….’ (v. 18).

Second Reading
We are people set apart for the love of God by fulfilling our Christian status of life

- Christian virginity is the ‘total offering of life/ perfect consecration of life to God’s love: Paul expresses this in the second reading of today in which we are asked to read the passage with the eyes of faith and with the heart donated to God.
- Single life or solitary life is neither a sin nor a weakness: it is a Christian vocation in which whole humanity of the celibate person is consecrated to the love of God.
- Event the matrimony or family life is neither bad nor something not allowed: it is also a Christian vocation in which the one is offered totally for the well being of the partner, thus, husband to the wife and wife to the husband; they have to live this love reciprocally and together they have to become a ‘perfect offering’ to the celestial love of God.
- In both of them, the choice of the status of life in which one wants to live is not the important matter. Both of them divinely planned and both of them have their unique nature and role in the world.
- The significant note that Paul makes here is that ‘whatever life one chooses’, the ultimate consecration should be to God becoming participants in his eternal love. This is the Christian message of life and vocation. It is God who has to be above all our normal, personal and social choices. If there is a list of preferences in one’s life as a Christian, the first of the list should be God and His Will.
- It is in this background that we can also connect it to the words of Jesus that ‘in heaven there is no marriage, no husband, and no wife, they all will be like angels’ (Mathew 22:30).
- Therefore, we have to seek first the kingdom of God (Mathew 6:33) and let the love of God precede all other human occupations because: it is the heavenly life and it is the authentic Christian life to which we are called and to which we have to offer ‘virginity of our life’, in other words, ‘purity of our total self’ to God and to His Kingdom on earth so that we are worthy of participating in His Eternal Joy and Love.

Gospel
Jesus Christ is the Word and Work of God in and for us

- Word at Work: Jesus preaches and operates at the same time in Mark.
o We will begin by entering into the general context of the passage: In the Gospel we see the first miraculous driving off an evil spirit from a man. The evangelist Mark directly and straightaway enters into the central point which he wanted to convey. His Gospel does not contain long introductory part like that of John and not even long infant narratives like that of Mathew and Luke. His is the first gospel and he wants to project Jesus, his life and ministry, as the one sent by God (1.1-2) and as the one who is more pleasing Son to God (1:11), and as he is set out to fulfill the work of salvation in a word and in a deed.
o Mark’s intention is not to divide his word from his action, his preaching from his miracle operation, his teaching from his mission of salvation. it is found here in the particular passage which appears still in the first chapter and thus, still in the very beginning itself; Here we see Jesus teaching in the temple and immediately ‘as though the matured fruit cannot stay longer on the tree’, he demonstrates the effect of the word already at work of demolishing what is evil and re-constructing what is divided and collapsed.
o Jesus word and work at one and the same time is destructing here the ‘possession’ of the evil by which man has lost his identity and dignity of being a child of God and thus, he started repairing the damage by pulling out the power of unholy spirit.
o The reaction of the people around is noteworthy:
 When he preached – they were taken up by wonder (v.22: astounded)
 When he healed – they were taken up by fear (v. 27): though the English version say that they were ‘amazed’ and closer translation say that they were taken up by ‘fear’, which might be also the wonderstruck-fear.
 In both the people have seen something new when never happened before: that he teaches the word with authority and he works miracles with command.
o Both the word and work, thus both teaching and healing, are not separately seen here. They come in the one instance and they come one after the other or rather one from the other. That continuation or that connection is seen here. It is all because the Messiah sent by God has initiated his mission of redeeming people from the power and fear of evil.
o His word is always transformed into an act of bringing fallen creature into the true identity and dignity of being God’s children.

- Evil divides and Jesus unites:
o We will start by entering into the particular context of the gospel passage. We will take even small elements which seem to be insignificant but they provoke that man is always ‘tempted’ and ‘operated upon’ by an evil that is always at work of pulling him away from God’s design and will. Once again and little later, Peter will admonish us with this truth saying that “Discipline yourselves, keep alert. Like a roaring lion your adversary the devil prowls around, looking for someone to devour. Resist him, steadfast in your faith, for you know that your brothers and sisters in all the world are undergoing the same kinds of suffering” (1 Pet 5:8-9).
o Jesus’ word is effective and efficacious: we see Jesus preaching to the people but not as the Scribes (v. 22): this difference is made between Jesus and the Scribes to show that both are authentically given the possibility of teaching the Law. Even the scribes were authorized by God in the Old Testament to handle well and to teach well the Law of Moses. But people did not find any newness or creative effect in their teaching. They only teach and their teaching remains only as a teaching. Jesus teaching is little more authentic and with prophetic voice (first reading – he is the promised prophet sent by God to speak in His name) of God. He speaks and his speaking has special effect, not only in the form of miracles but even prior to it because people have seen something different tone and efficacy coming from his words and soon they recognized that he is speaking with authority and command. Mark brings out this difference to show the authenticity and redemptive character of the ‘word’ of Jesus.
o Unclean spirit takes a possession of a man (v.23): we have to consider here that subject is man and the object is an evil spirit but it is the object that takes the control of the subject. A man with an unclean spirit, in other words, a unclean spirit takes a man as his possession or man himself allows to be ‘controlled’ and ‘operated’ by a unholy spirit. Whatever is the condition, the damage is also to the subject, that is, to the man. The consequence is:
 Man loses his integrity which means he becomes divided, he becomes a slave to the other who is considered as more powerful than himself, though in reality, it is the subject who is always potent and persistent.
 Man is not anymore the one who speaks, who does; it is the words and works of the unclean spirit which has taken control of him which are exhibited.
 Man loses his mind, his thought and sometime even the integrity of the body because often we see in the gospels that evil spirits ‘stir up and throw’ the persons to the ground.
o Started shouting: ‘he cried out’ (v.23): till now in the same synagogue there was this man, calm and quiet, tranquil and without making noise; but only when it has heard Jesus talking ‘with authority’, it has roused up because it has recognized the power of the word of Jesus and started crying out: the words of Jesus always arouse the difference between good and bad and provoke to choosing the good. The word of God is so powerful that it breaks open the heart and reveals what is holy and what is unholy in the person. We read this in the Letter to the Hebrews: “Indeed, the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing until it divides soul from spirit, joints from marrow; it is able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart” (Heb 4:12).
o Evil spirit also recognizes Jesus as the Son of God (v.24): we see little later Peter proclaiming the identity of Jesus as experienced by them in the illusory manner till then confessing: “You are Christ” (Mk 8:29). But even before that and even before the people with amaze confirm him to be the Messiah by the words with authority and by the miracles with command (v.27), we see the evil spirit already confessing Jesus as the ‘Holy One of God’. We can observe two things here:
 One, he speaks in the plural manner: “What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us”: and here we do not have any reference to the ‘plurality’ of the evil spirits; there is only one unclean spirit which has possessed man; but it speaks it speaks ‘We’ and ‘Us’; this means that it is exhibiting its dividing nature telling in other worlds: ‘I have divided man; he is not himself; he is mine; he has become my property; he has come under my control; we are two in number now’. This is the diving character of the evil: it destroys the integrity of human nature.
 Two, he confesses in the singular manner: “I know who you are, the Holy One of God”: when it is time to recognize who is the One who is acting upon him, he immediately confesses that he already knows him; man has not recognized the power and presence of Jesus but the evil spirit has immediately understood it and thus has cried out ‘accepting’ and ‘confessing’ his helplessness and his incapacity.
 In the first phrase, we see the ‘triumphant’ nature of the evil spirit as though it has won and brought the man to himself by possessing him and by destroying his identity and dignity of being the child of God: we see the tone of victory on the part of the evil spirit.
 But in the second phrase, we see the ‘losing’ nature of the evil spirit as though its ground is being shaken, as though its action is being questioned, as though his power is being dethroned and finally as though he has lost his property, the man: we see the tone of loosing on the part of the evil spirit.
 It is because of this prior recognition of word and work of Jesus, the Messiah, that the evil has lost its game even before Jesus has commanded it. It is because of this it was silent and helpless when Jesus said: “Be silent and get out of him” (v.25). it is because of this, without any further trial it has just left him with the last agitation in the man.
o Devil in Greek means “the one who divides” and the one who seeks for all the possible modes in order to create confusion and thus division. Making this as the starting point let us go back in understanding what happened both in the gospel and in the second reading:
 When the scribes were teaching the Law of Moses, people found different and divided explanations. They found the Law becoming into various laws losing its integral significance of being ‘Word of God’. But when Jesus was teaching the same, people found it being put together whole law, prophets and the psalms into one and single ‘Will and Word of God’. Therefore, while the devil divides, Jesus started re-uniting the nature of the Word.
 Devil has divided the man and destroyed the one human nature of man who is basically supposed to be ‘image and likeness’ of God and damaged this identity and dignity; devil was at work, not the man; devil was speaking, not the man; devil was controlling the whole condition of man and thus man has become a slave in the hands of the devil; But Jesus, driving out this evil spirit from him by his authoritative command, has restored him again to his normal human nature and thus he has become again ‘an image of God’.
 Little more power is the admonition of St. Paul in the second letter: he brings out, as we have already seen, the only two Christian life styles, either being celibate or being married; only these two realities are true and commanded by God; and only in these Christian vocation man finds his ‘consecrated love’ to God and to the mission: as the celibate to spread the love of God to all and as the married one to share the love of God to his married partner; the will and word of God makes this ‘unity of love’.
• Though it seems to be strange and impossible for our day as we enjoy the modernism and secularism in all the aspects of life: personal, social, psychological and even moral. Yes, indeed, it look out-dated and ‘insignificant’ for today’s society. But for the one who believes in Jesus and for the one who desire to have a true joy and joy without end, this virtue stands still alive and active and meaningful.
• On the other hand, Paul admonishes the community of Corinth to retrospect once again their attitude towards their moral behavior. By talking to them in the name of Jesus (for a prophet always speaks and acts for God and in the name of God – first reading), and making fraternal observation tells them: “I say this for your own benefit, not to put any restraint upon you, but to promote good order and unhindered devotion to the Lord” (1 Cor 7:25). It is not for his good but it is for the good of the one who observes it;
• He says that any other relationship will divide the ‘nature of the unity’ of love between man and woman; and this ‘division’ is the character of the devil. The evil spirit who is always at work like a lion plays with the one who is not attentive to God’s word and will. It controls him and divides him.
• It is because of this ‘diabolic attitude’ in us that we have so many divisions:
o in ourselves: often there is no coherency between our words and actions;
o in our families: often we do not trust fully the other either because of our ego or because of infidelity;
o in our society: often we feel insecure and frightened by the elements of superiority or inferiority complexes or because of the different authorities that take control of us – be it political, economic, or cultural;
o in our religious sphere too: often we encounter doubts and questions about God and the faith because we do not find an immediate response from them for problems of our existence;
• on the other hand we have Jesus who has assumed our human nature and by becoming a obedient servant – to live and suffer for us and thus to stand as a ‘force’ and ‘source’ of life for us and finally to lead us to the ‘acceptance and living’ of our identity and our dignity of being children of God; thus Jesus came ‘restoring’ everything to the Kingdom of God by ‘seeking and saving the lost’ (Luke 19:10). He becomes the point and force of ‘unity’.


- Evil spirit may be the first one to find out ‘Son of God’ in ‘Jesus of Nazareth’:
o Another important theological point we observe here, although partially, is that: the Evil spirit also finds out, in fact the first one to find out according to Mark, the relationship between ‘Jesus of Nazareth’ and ‘the Son of God’;
o though it seems to be very simple here it has an underling truth which we have to note; especially, in the contemporary times when all the theologians are trying to gather together the canonical and traditional and magisterial teachings of the Church to find out connection and link between Jesus of Nazareth and Word-Son of God.
o There various Christological views come up to find out the ‘authenticity’ of Jesus as Son of God:
 One is ‘an ascending Christology’ by which we have our starting point: Jesus of history and how reveals his identity of being Son of God through his life and ministry and particularly through the Paschal mystery; and thus, we move from Jesus of Nazareth to the Son of God.
 Second is ‘a descending Christology’ by which we have our starting point: ‘Eternal Word of God’ who has entered into the history in the person of Jesus of Nazareth who by his words and deeds reveal that he has come from above and returns to Him who has sent him for the self-communication of his love to the world.
 Third is ‘Christology from within’ by which we have our starting point: Jesus Christ who is both of History and Mystery and we cannot take one element into consideration to find out his true identity.
o But to conclude our reflection, I just bring out this observation, though looks very peripheral and banal: even before all these views have come up with much struggle and with much study and inquiry and with much agreements and disagreements, there is already this relationship made between ‘Jesus of Nazareth and Son of God’ as one and the same in the beginning of the Gospel of Mark itself and specially, confessed by the enemy of God, devil himself: “What do you want with us, Jesus of Nazareth? I know who you are: Holy One of God”.
o Let us keep aside, for a while, all these theological deviating views and ‘confess’ that Jesus is the Son of God and that he has come to make us realize by his Word and Work ‘our true identity’ as the Children of God.




Conclusion

- If we reach Jesus, listen to him and accept him we are safe and firm in our integrity both as Christians and as human beings. If we leave ourselves controlled by the evil spirits with negligence and with indifference to the presence and power of God, we lose what we are and we become ‘the property of the devil’ and thus confusing ourselves and the world around us.
- Let us therefore remember our identity and dignity of being ‘the consecrated possession’ of God and live worthy of it.