Deacon Tom Anthony

Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Lectionary: 71

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. (8) 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.

Alleluia Mt 4:16

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
The people who sit in darkness have seen a great light;
on those dwelling in a land overshadowed by death,
light has arisen.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

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.

My Brothers and Sisters,

Throughout the history of the world, God has sent the prophets at different times to help guide the people living during that period. Those same words spoken are contained in our Sacred Scripture and are known as Divine Revelations because what was said is as important now as it was back then. They tell us about God and serve as the foundation of our faith. They provide instruction and comfort to us. It is through these writings that we are able to develop our own relationship with God and receive His wisdom. In our journey of faith, we are then taken to the Gospels, the Acts of the Apostles, and the various letters which lead to the full Revelation of Jesus Christ the Son of God. There is no more need of the prophets for we have Jesus Himself through The Living Word and His presence throughout creation. All has been given to us and we are now invited to live the full Christ Experience. Taking the Biblical Writings, the instruction received from the Holy Mother Church, and the Traditions of the Church, we have what is called the Deposit of Faith. As Christians, we have come to understand this as a gift from God to us. It is an expression of His love for us. It serves as a structure of sorts where from within we live out our faith-life with Him. Through it, certain truths are revealed which then allow us to deepen our experiences with Him.

In Paul’s Letter to the Corinthians, he tells us how in many circumstances our social responsibilities can get in the way of our spiritual responsibilities and serve as a distraction to what is of the ultimate importance which is God. Yes, it is through the family and the relationships therein that the Love of God is experienced. With that known, there will be many of us that can find ourselves frustrated and presented with challenges as we try to fulfill many roles to both our families and the Church. This dilemma can also extend into other roles we take on from work and societal obligations. What can easily happen when this occurs is a blurring of the responsibility to God and an obstacle to created between us and our relationship with God. It is easier to ignore something that is unseen such as God and concentrate on our physical existence that is before us. Everything then suffers as a result and nothing is done correctly. Ultimately what then happens is the absence of Joy and the entrance of sin and temptation.

The key to avoiding this dilemma is again focusing on all aspects of the Deposit of Faith and doing everything with Jesus in our hearts, soul, and mind. When we make the effort to do this, we then remove all the obstacles between us and God’s Grace. Obstacles that we constructed in the first place. The eyes of the people of Capernaum were opened in much the same way. They were astounded as Jesus’ teachings in the synagogue. It was through their reception of the Word that the path was cleared for them to experience miracles and demons were cast out. This was in stark contrast to when Jesus went to Nazareth previously and was utterly rejected. No miracles were performed and Jesus was astounded by their lack of faith. 

The stronger our faith becomes the more we become aware of the presence of the Holy Spirit. It is the same with our relationships with people we interact with. The more time we spend with someone, the closer we become. To fully experience God’s Love, we must engage it continuously. There will be less and less anxiety; replaced with all the more joy and love. The path has been mapped out for us and the instructions are offered for us. The challenge is this: are we ready to take the time and effort to use them?

Deacon Tom