Gospel – Mark 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.
Reflection on the Gospel
Let us remember that we are in the holy presence of God.
The “Alleluia” of today’s gospel comes from Matthew 4:16. For my reflection, I wanted to focus on that verse and meditate on “Jesus: The Light.” Matthew 4:16 reads as follows: “the people living in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned.” The great light that people have seen is Jesus. He has come to Galilee at this point in time to heal, to deliver, to enlighten, and to save souls. Light does not misconstrue what is real or evident; it illuminates and even sometimes magnifies what one is looking for. Jesus’ obedience is one way He is The Light. Jesus faced temptations left and right to disobey God’s plans and to worship Satan. Right after Jesus was baptized, he was sent into the wilderness to be tempted by Satan where He was offered kingdoms and riches but He held strong to the plan designated for Him. Jesus knew what his purpose was and no matter how much he was tempted to stray, he remained obedient.
As sinners, all of us have encountered difficulty obeying rules and regulations in one or more facets of our lives. As believers, we strive each and every day to live the way God would like us to. God wants us to be obedient to His word despite whoever and whatever does not align with His purpose for our lives. Just like Jesus was tempted to stray, all of us have been and will continue to be tempted to stray as well.
Jesus never let His light go out during those tempting times. We have to remember to never let the light within us go out either. When you’re tempted by people and things that will only distance you from the kingdom of God, it is your Christian duty to let your light shine – let your light illuminate the real plan that God has for you.
A sure way to never forget about Jesus, The Light, is to focus on “whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things” (Philippians 4:8). When these are the type of thoughts that flood your mind, the darkness doesn’t stand a chance in defeating a warrior in God’s army.
Ms. Andrea Guyton
St. Peter’s High School
St. John Baptist De La Salle…Pray for us.
Live Jesus in our hearts…Forever.
