A Temple of the Holy Spirit

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Daniel & Catherine ready for Confirmation I had the privilege of witnessing my son and daughter receive the Sacrament of Confirmation this past Tuesday at the Basilica of Our Lady of the Annunciation in Lancaster, OH. It was a wonderful Mass with a full choir, trumpets, and all the rest. During his remarks, Bishop Earl K. Fernandes mentioned that we too, like the Basilica, are temples of the Lord. It caused me to reflect on this idea. Although I've mostly seen only pictures of the great cathedrals and basilicas in the world, I have seen some amazing churches even in our own diocese. These structures are a testament to the Church's love for God (read the entire Church - Militant, Suffering, Triumphant). They represent great skill, sacrifice, and passion for Our Lord and often times His Mother.  Yet the words of Christ always echo in my mind when contemplating the beauty that surrounds me in those places; “ Do you see these great buildings? There will not be one stone left u
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The Authority of Jesus

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Mark 1:21-28

I found this reading brought to mind many questions. Why did the folks in the synagogue not throw Jesus out on His ear for doing this on the Sabbath? How were the scribes teaching if not with authority and why would anyone listen to them if they weren't authoritative? Why does Jesus always silence the unclean spirits?

This is really the first official day of Ordinary Time. The Church, during this time, helps us to focus on the life and teachings of Our Lord. Here we find ourselves at the beginning of Jesus' ministry. He is just starting to gather followers. These first moments of ministry are new and novel to the witnesses and we are told at the end of this selection that "at once his fame spread everywhere." Perhaps this teaching and action have caught the witnesses off guard. They are impressed by His teaching and authority. Perhaps in this little synagogue the men are more relaxed and accepting (although the scribes went and tattled 3:22). If we take all of this into consideration we can understand why the reaction is accepting. However, with the spread of the flame of fame, Jesus quickly draws enemies who will call Him out for His "work" on the sabbath (and they're still upset over the exorcism thing in 3:22). In fact, in the next chapter Jesus faces some angry Pharisees because He and His disciples were walking through a grain field "plucking ears of grain" on the sabbath.

Surely the scribes had some authority otherwise they would have been cast from the synagogue in short order. However, their teaching most probably went like this, "Scripture says", or "Moses has written" or something of the like. Jesus on the other hand would have spoken with authority for in fact He is the Author of that which they read and discuss. The hearers were accustomed to "Moses wrote about divorce in this fashion" but when they hear Jesus say, "but I say to you whoever gets a divorce is guilty of adultery." This surely would have been shocking.

This manifestation of power probably caused most of the audience to perk up and pay attention. Yet, the man who was possessed was brought to light because the demons have a much higher intelligence than we and it immediately recognized Christ. Jesus could have silenced this demon for a couple of reasons. First, He may want believers to believe in Him and His works not the testimony of an evil spirit. A bad witness, even when telling the truth, is a bad witness. In this instance, if Jesus would not have commanded him to be silent, the devil could gain followers through proclaiming the name of Jesus only to lead them astray in the end. It happens even to this day. Second, Jesus may have wanted to present Himself as the Messiah as He truly is not as the political rebel that those of His time were hoping for. In this instance, the witness of the devil, unsilenced, could have worked to foster that political-power desire of the time.

In this passage of Scripture we see that Jesus has all authority. He has the authority to teach us and to cast out the sin that is within us. Today let us call upon the Lord and ask Him to teach us how to live. Let us ask Him to remove that sin which is possessing us and cast it out into the darkness never to return.

FROM THE SAINTS -Saint Michael the Archangel,defend us in battle.Be our protection against the wickedness and snares of the devil.May God rebuke him, we humbly pray;and do Thou, O Prince of the Heavenly Host -by the Divine Power of God -cast into hell, Satan and all the evil spirits,who roam throughout the world seeking the ruin of souls.
Amen.
- Pope Leo XIII


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