ORDINARY SUNDAY IV “B”
JANUARY 31 / FEBRUARY 1, 2009
“Why does the gospel story have the devil saying to Jesus, ‘I know who you are—the Holy One of God!’? It sounds like the devil is saying he believes in Jesus.” This was a question of one of the members of the Spiritual Growth and Liturgy Committee at our meeting this past week during the Scripture sharing that always opens our meetings. It does seem odd, doesn’t it, that the devil who is opposed to all that Jesus is and represents should proclaim the fundamental truth about Jesus’ identity as God’s Son. What is going on here and what message can it have for us?
St. Mark puts this statement of faith on the lips of the devil for an important reason. The central theme of Mark’s gospel is the conflict between the Kingdom of God made present in Jesus, and the kingdom of the world over which the devil has dominion. This conflict will reach its climax in Jesus’ suffering and death on the cross and Resurrection, what we call the Paschal Mystery. Already early in his gospel Mark is signaling this conflict and its ultimate outcome. The devil knows full well whom he is up against by acknowledging the truth against which he fights trying to keep hold of his power symbolized by the possessed man from whom Jesus ultimately expels him.
The battle of today’s gospel story is still being fought. For example, many voices in the secular media, the halls of political policy and the entertainment industry vehemently decry and ridicule the teaching of Scripture, the Church, its teachings grounded in the Bible and its lived history known as Sacred Tradition, its leaders: the Pope, bishops, priests, and even saints such as Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta or the late Pope John Paul II on human life issues such as abortion, stem cell research, euthanasia, the definition and sanctity of marriage and family life. While couched in language of being “compassionate” or “promoting equal rights” or “choice” they are an attempt to lure believers away from the Truth revealed by God through the prophets, Jesus, the apostles and entrusted to the Church. It is not uncommon today to hear people state, “Well, the Church can say what it wants. But in the end I make up my own mind. No one tells me what to believe or what to do.” By an inverse logic, like that used by the devil in today’s gospel, these voices are in fact affirming the very truth against which they so vehemently fight because, if they were truly honest about their thoughts, intentions and actions, in the depth of their conscience they know those teachings to be divinely revealed and/or through natural human reason true.
On the side of those, who knowing Jesus and the truth of the gospel as proclaimed by Church, yet still nonetheless opposing them resides pride. Pride, by definition, is having an unduly high opinion of oneself; an exaggerated self-esteem, a conceit and arrogance that manifests itself in hatred of God and the things of God. It is, making oneself god. It is what caused the rebellion of Satan and his fall from grace. Little wonder, then, in the traditional ranking of the “seven deadly sins” pride occupies primacy of place. It condemned Satan to eternal banishment from God. It can destroy divine grace in us, too.
Jesus, on the other hand, today is revealed as the fulfillment of Moses’ prediction of God raising up one like himself. Jesus, like Moses, claims no authority on his own. Rather, like Moses, Jesus in his humanity, received his authority by divine revelation at his baptism as the Spirit hovered over him and the Father proclaimed him to be “my beloved Son.” Like Moses, the authority of Jesus is directed not to self advancement, (pride) but to the service of God and God’s kingdom as seen in his healing of the demoniac in today’s gospel. While Moses’ authority ceased with his death, Jesus handed on his authority to the community of the Church, with Peter and his successors at its head. Even St. Paul, who in today’s second reading answers some questions regarding sexual morality for his Corinthian readers, in other letters talks about how he submitted his preaching and teaching to the authority of Peter and the other apostles for their approval. St. Paul, great as he was, did not presume to assume authority and the role of prophecy to himself. His example is a good model for us. The question for us: in our life are we willing and humble enough to listen to the words, directions and insights Christ has established as his voice in the world, the Scriptures, the Sacraments, the Church and its official teachers? Or, will we listen to other voices even knowing the truth of Jesus and yet go our own way? “Lord, if today we hear your voice, harden not our hearts.”