●● Deuteronomy 18:15-20 ●● Psalm 95 ●● 1 Corinthians 7:32-35 ●● Mark
1:21-28
●●
[__01__] What
we read in the Gospel of Mark, chapter 1 is an an encounter of Jesus, our
Savior, with a man who needs a Savior, a man possessed by an evil spirit.
Immediately, to our contemporary
brains, informed intellects, and
Hollywood-influenced personae, this may seem a tall tale or a trailer to a
movie that our parents did not let us see [as teenagers, youth, children.] Few of us have witnessed a person completely
taken over – possessed – by an evil spirit.
Yet, what Jesus is protecting this man
from – and trying to protect us from and remind us…that evil is not planted and
growing in our hearts, at least not permanently. The world is not divided into
good people and evil people, with the latter trying to take revenge on us.
Rather, any of us can be tempted –
drawn in – by a struggle or by the temptation to do something wrong, something
which is contrary to goodness, to good sense, to the way in which God made us.
[__02__] What our Savior offers the people of His
day, he also offers to us in the sacraments of Penance and Reconciliation, of
Holy Communion, of Baptism, all the sacraments.
That is, Jesus’ presence is
experienced as an INTERVENTION … INTUITION … INTENSITY …
[__03__] First – Jesus arrivers, intervenes. He may
not intervene in the exact way in which he intervenes miraculously – with the exorcism
of the possessed man of the Gospel. He
may intervene in more subtle ways. Nevertheless, he is arriving each day.
Do we recognize him?
Sometimes, we only recognize our own
desires.
It is, for example, paradoxical that we
could, at times, manifest indifference or laziness – toward a person or toward
a project – when perhaps when perhaps we have not even really tried. Our desire may be for immediate satisfaction.
Do we accept “interventions” that help
us along the way? This come from God, and also via relationships with other.
Several years ago, in school, I recall
that I was on my way to very poor academic performance. And, at the time, a
friend – whom I admired and trusted – suggested that I go and see the professor
for extra help, for tutoring.
While this was totally logical – even
obvious -- I can honestly say that I would never have taken this step this
unless someone had suggested this. I was ready to throw in the towel after a
few weeks.
This was not the first time or last
time someone that I needed this push. When we pray, meditate, we are asking not
only for a favor – to INTERCEDE ..but also for God to INTERVENE and help us to
take action.
Teachers intervene, parents intervene,
friends intervene, doctors and nurses intervene, grown children intervene for
their parents, spouses intervene, and God intervenes not only to give us
answers but to help us face the questions.
Jesus offers INTERVENTION.
[__04__] INTUITION. Jesus also offers his
disciples, then and now, INTUITION.
What we read in the Gospel is that the
evil spirit recognizes – knows about the Messiah, stating: “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!” (Mark 1:24)
The evil spirit has an intuition –
knowledge – of Jesus.
However,
we are called to remember that the intuition of Jesus is greater than any
other. And, he shares this intuition with us. Do we not have INTUITION, a quick
a ready insight that we not only have to use when someone is trying to sell us
something or scam us… ?
INTUITION is also something we use to
judge whether we can be kind even to the person who may be unkind to us, if we
can return a blessing (as St. Paul says) even when we feel insulted or
rejected. (Romans 12:14)
There is Christian intuition.
In my school study example, I seem to
recall the tutoring did not only inform me of what I did not know but also to
take responsibility for what I already knew.
Both INTERVENTION and INTUITION are good news for us.
[__05__] INTENSITY.
Jesus also offers us, as his
followers, INTENSITY, a discipline to follow.
And, when I say INTENSITY, I do not
mean Level 14 on the elliptical machine at the gym or 95 mph on I-95.
Intensity is not the same as TENSION,
ANXIETY, or STRESS.
Tom Brady and the New England Patriots
know this, as do their Philadelphia Eagle opponents. They are not necessarily tense about
playing in the Super Bowl.
In order to gain INTENSITY and FOCUS,
we gather together, to pray, we come before God in silence also.
We may repeat ourselves – and
repetition is part of our lives of repentance and forgiveness, as we admit our
need for God for his love, his healing, his intensity so that we can rest and
be healed in his presence, through his body and blood and his care for our body
and soul. [__fin__]
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