4th Sunday of Year B
Teach and teaching are words which occur frequently in the New Testament. They also appear several times in the liturgy of this Fourth Sunday of the Ordinary Time. Jesus is presented by St Mark as the master with a “new teaching” who “taught with authority” (Gospel). It is not just any teaching, but that of a prophet, in the style of Moses, the prototype of prophetic tradition in the mind of the people of Israel, the master and maker of his people (first reading). St Paul, as prophet of the New Testament, imparts to the Corinthians his teaching on marriage and celibacy, two states and two ways of living oneโs dedication and commitment to the apostolate within the church community (second reading). This teaching which is prophetic, new and delivered with authority, is addressed to man, so that he will welcome it and become the active recipient of its effectiveness.
P. Antonio Izqeuirdo, L.C., Copyright ยฉ Dicastery for the Clergy
Preaching and Healing
31 January 2021 | Library of the Apostolic Palace
4th Sunday of Year B
Todayโs Gospel passage (cf. Mk 1:21-28) tells of a typical day in Jesusโ ministry; in particular, it is the Sabbath, a day dedicated to rest and prayer: people went to the synagogue. In the synagogue of Capernaum, Jesus reads and comments on the Scriptures. Those present are attracted by his manner of speaking; their astonishment is great because he shows an authority that is different to that of the scribes (v. 22). Furthermore, Jesus shows himself to be powerful in his deeds as well. Indeed, a man of the synagogue lashes out, addressing him as the One sent by God: He recognizes the evil spirit, orders him to leave that man, and thus drives him out (vv. 23-26).
The two characteristic elements of Jesusโ action can be seen here: preaching, and the thaumaturgic work of healing: He preaches and heals. Both of these aspects stand out in the passage of the evangelist Mark, but preaching is emphasized the most; exorcism is presented as a confirmation of his singular โauthorityโ and his teaching. Jesus preaches with his own authority, as someone who possesses a doctrine derived from himself, and not like the scribes who repeated previous traditions and laws that had been handed down. They repeated words, words, words, only words: as the great singer Mina sang, [โParole, parole, parole โ]; that is how they were. Just words. Instead in Jesusโ words have authority; Jesus is authoritative. And this touches the heart.
Jesusโ teaching has the same authority as God who speaks. Indeed, with a single command he easily frees the possessed man from the evil one, and heals him. Why? Because his word does what he says. Because he is the definitive prophet. But why do I say this, that he is the definitive prophet? Let us remember Mosesโ promise: Moses says, โAfter me, long after, a prophet like me will comeโ โ like me! โ โwho will teach youโ. (cf. Dt 18:15). Moses proclaimed Jesus as the definitive prophet. This is why he speaks not with human, but with divine authority, because he has the power to be the definitive prophet, that is, the Son of God who saves us, who heals us all.
The second aspect, healing, shows that Christโs preaching is intended to defeat the evil present in humankind and the world. His word is pointedly directed against the kingdom of Satan: it puts him in crisis and makes him recoil, obliging him to leave the world. Touched by the Lordโs command, this possessed, maniacal man is freed and transformed into a new person. In addition, Jesusโ preaching conforms to a logic that is contrary to that of the world and of the evil one: His words reveal the upheaval of a mistaken ordering of things. In fact, the demon present in the possessed man cries out as Jesus approaches: โWhat have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us?โ (v. 24).
These expressions indicate the total extraneousness between Jesus and Satan: they are on completely different planes; there is nothing in common between them; they are the opposite of each other. Jesus, authoritative, who attracts people by his authority, and also the prophet who liberates, the promised prophet who is the Son of God who heals. Do we listen to Jesusโ words, which are authoritative? Always, do not forget, carry a small copy of the Gospel in your pocket or in your bag, to read throughout the day, to listen to that authoritative word of Jesus. And then, we all have problems, we all have our sins, we all have spiritual afflictions; let us ask Jesus: โJesus, you are the prophet, the Son of God, the one who was promised to us to heal us. Heal me!โ Asking Jesus to heal our sins, our ills.
Authority
1 February 2015 | Saint Peter’s Square
4th Sunday of Year B
This Sundayโs Gospel passage (cf. Mk 1:21-28) presents Jesus who, with his small community of disciples, enters Capernaum, the city where Peter lived and which was the largest city in Galilee at that time. Jesus goes to that city.
The Evangelist Mark, recounts that, since it was the Sabbath, Jesus went straight to the Synagogue and began to teach (cf. v. 21). This reminds us of the primacy of the Word of God, the Word to be listened to, the Word to be received, the Word to be proclaimed. Arriving in Capernaum, Jesus does not delay proclaiming the Gospel, does not think first about the necessary logistics of his small community, does not tarry over the organization. His primary concern is to communicate the Word of God with the power of the Holy Spirit. And the people in the Synagogue were astonished, because Jesus โtaught them as one who had authority, and not as the scribesโ (v. 22).
What does โwith authorityโ mean? It means that in the human words of Jesus, the power of the Word of God could be felt, the authority of God, who is the inspiration of the Sacred Scriptures. And one of the characteristics of the Word of God is that He does what He says. For the Word of God corresponds to his will. We, on the other hand, often speak empty, shallow words, or superfluous words, words that do not coincide with the truth. Instead, the Word of God corresponds to the truth, it is united to his will and fulfills what He says. Indeed, Jesus, after preaching, immediately demonstrates his authority by freeing a man, in the Synagogue, who was possessed by a demon, (cf. Mk 1:23-36). The very divine authority of Christ provoked the reaction of Satan, hidden in that man; Jesus, in his turn, immediately recognized the voice of the evil one and โrebuked him:…. โBe silent, and come out of himโโ (v. 25). With the power of his word alone, Jesus frees the person from the evil one. And once again those present were amazed: โHe commands even the unclean spirits, and they obey himโ (v. 27). The Word of God arouses amazement in us. It has the power to astonish us.
The Gospel is the word of life: it does not oppress people, on the contrary, it frees those who are slaves to the many evil spirits of this world: the spirit of vanity, attachment to money, pride, sensuality…. The Gospel changes the heart, changes life, transforms evil inclinations into good intentions. The Gospel is capable of changing people! Therefore it is the task of Christians to spread the redeeming power throughout the world, becoming missionaries and heralds of the Word of God. This is also suggested by todayโs passage which closes with a missionary perspective, saying: โhis fameโ โ the fame of Jesus โ โspread everywhere, throughout all the surrounding region of Galileeโ (v. 28). The new doctrine, taught by Jesus with authority, is what the Church takes to the world, along with the effective signs of His presence: the authoritative teaching and the liberating action of the Son of God become words of salvation and gestures expressing the love of the missionary Church. Always remember that the Gospel has the power to change lives! Do not forget this. It is the Good News, which transforms us only when we allow ourselves to be transformed by it. That is why I always ask you to have daily contact with the Gospel, to read it every day: a verse, a passage, to meditate on it and even to take it with you everywhere: in your pocket, in your bag…. In other words to nourish yourself every day with this inexhaustible source of salvation. Do not forget! Read a passage of the Gospel every day. It is the power that changes us, that transforms us: it changes life, it changes the heart.
SOURCE: The Holy See Archive at the Vatican Website ยฉ Libreria Editrice Vaticana
The “Messianic Secret”
1 February 2009 | Saint Peter’s Square
4th Sunday of Year B
This year, among the Sunday celebrations, the liturgy proposes the Gospel of St Mark for our meditation. A unique characteristic of this Gospel is what is called the “messianic secret”: namely, the fact that, for the moment, Jesus does not want it to be known outside the small group of his disciples that he is the Christ, the Son of God. Moreover, at this point he warns both the Apostles and the sick whom he heals not to reveal his identity to anyone. For example, this Sunday’s Gospel passage (Mk 1: 21-28) tells of a man possessed by the devil who suddenly shouts: “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”. And Jesus commands the spirit: “Quiet! Come out of him!”. And immediately the Evangelist notes the unclean spirit, with excruciating cries, came out of that man. Jesus not only drives demons out of people, freeing them from the worst slavery, but prevents the demons themselves from revealing his identity. And he insists on this “secret” because what is at stake is the success of his very mission, on which our salvation depends. Indeed, he knows that to liberate humanity from the dominion of sin he will have to be sacrificed on the Cross as the true Paschal Lamb. The devil, for his part, seeks to dissuade him so as to divert him instead toward the human logic of a powerful and successful Messiah. The Cross of Christ will be the devil’s ruin, and this is why Jesus always taught his disciples that in order to enter into his glory he must suffer much, he must be rejected, condemned and crucified (cf. Lk 24: 26), for suffering is an integral part of his mission.
Jesus suffered and died on the Cross for love. On close consideration, it was in this way that he gave meaning to our suffering, a meaning that many men and women of every age have understood and made their own, experiencing profound tranquillity even in the bitterness of harsh physical and moral trials. And the theme that the Italian Bishops have chosen for their customary Message on the occasion of today’s Pro-Life Day is precisely “The strength of life in suffering”. I wholeheartedly make their words my own, in which is seen the love of Pastors for their people and their courage in proclaiming the truth the courage to say clearly, for example, that euthanasia is a false solution to the drama of suffering, a solution unworthy of man. Indeed, the true response cannot be to put someone to death, however “kindly”, but rather to witness to the love that helps people to face their pain and agony in a human way. We can be certain that no tear, neither of those who are suffering nor of those who are close to them, is lost before God.
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