Sunday Readings & Video Homilies

January 29, 2012, Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time

 

Reading 1

Dt 18:15-20

Moses spoke to all the people, saying:
"A prophet like me will the LORD, your God, raise up for you
from among your own kin;
to him you shall listen.
This is exactly what you requested of the LORD, your God, at Horeb
on the day of the assembly, when you said,
'Let us not again hear the voice of the LORD, our God,
nor see this great fire any more, lest we die.'
And the LORD said to me, 'This was well said.
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.
Whoever will not listen to my words which he speaks in my name,
I myself will make him answer for it.
But if a prophet presumes to speak in my name
an oracle that I have not commanded him to speak,
or speaks in the name of other gods, he shall die.'"

Responsorial Psalm

Ps 95:1-2, 6-7, 7-9

R. If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts.

Come, let us sing joyfully to the LORD;
let us acclaim the rock of our salvation.
Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving;
let us joyfully sing psalms to him.
R. If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts.

Come, let us bow down in worship;
let us kneel before the LORD who made us.
For he is our God,
and we are the people he shepherds, the flock he guides.
R. If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts.

Oh, that today you would hear his voice:
"Harden not your hearts as at Meribah,
as in the day of Massah in the desert,
Where your fathers tempted me;
they tested me though they had seen my works."
R. If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts.

Reading 2

1 Cor 7:32-35

Brothers and sisters:
I should like you to be free of anxieties.
An unmarried man is anxious about the things of the Lord,
how he may please the Lord.
But a married man is anxious about the things of the world,
how he may please his wife, and he is divided.
An unmarried woman or a virgin is anxious about the things of the Lord,
so that she may be holy in both body and spirit.
A married woman, on the other hand,
is anxious about the things of the world,
how she may please her husband.
I am telling you this for your own benefit,
not to impose a restraint upon you,
but for the sake of propriety
and adherence to the Lord without distraction.

Gospel

Mk 1:21-28

Then they came to Capernaum,
and on the sabbath Jesus 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.               

 

Homily by Msgr. Daniel F. Hoye

Due to poor sound quality today's homily will be in written format.

I went to an all boys high school that was run by the Brothers of the Holy Cross.  Brother Richard taught history but he had no control of the classroom.  Guys did all sorts of mean things to him  Not me, of course but the principal made several visits to try to regain control.

But when you went to French class with Brother James no one uttered a word,

The difference?  Brother James spoke with authority.  Brother Richard did not.

We are still reading the first chapter of Mark and because Mark does not tell us the story of the birth of Christ or his early years, he must somehow start to tell us who this Jesus is that is beginning to preach.

One thing Mark tells us is that Jesus spoke with authority.  He has power over evil and his fame was spreading everywhere.

As we hear this gospel, perhaps we can be aware of the "unclean spirits" that are within us...those habits and choices we make which inhibit our growth as human beings and take us away from Christ rather than toward him.  The spirit we are talking about could be the spirit of selfishness-- when I think all things and all people must bend to my needs. Or the unclean spirit within me could be the pleasure principle that says all things are judged by how it makes me feel good. Our unclean spirit could be an unwillingness to forgive or to let go of grudges that create ongoing hostilities within families and among friends.

What we need to do is believe that Jesus has authority over these spirits.  We can change.  We can live differently.  What we need to do is admit our weaknesses, our unclean spirits and ask for the grace to overcome them.  It is a life long struggle, not one that we can win in a day, but win we can, win we must.

Jesus has authority over all, but he claims authority over our lives only when we surrender to him.  Recognizing that without him we are powerless over many things.  This is recognized in the various 12 step programs when they say we must “let go and let God”.

We also know Mark goes on to tell us “the rest of the story”.  Christ’s authority seems absent when we look at the cross.  But the story continues with the victory of the resurrection.

We fool ourselves when we think we are in charge.  It is God who is charge and that is what Mark proclaims today.