September 1
Healing of a Demoniac
Today's Gospel: Luke 4:31-37
“And he went down
to Capernaum, a city of Galilee. And he was teaching them on the Sabbath; and
they were astonished at his teaching, for his word was with authority. And in
the synagogue, there was a man who had the spirit of an unclean demon; and he
cried out with a loud voice, "Ah! 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." But Jesus rebuked him, saying, "Be silent, and come out of
him!" And when the demon had thrown him down in the midst, he came out of
him, having done him no harm. And they were all amazed and said to one another,
"What is this word? For with authority and power he commands the unclean
spirits, and they come out." And reports of him went out into every place
in the surrounding region.”
Reflection:
Jesus stands up
in that synagogue and teaches with real authority. Not the scribes' kind. The
real thing. Are you ready to entrust your whole life to that Word? To believe
in His power? You know that's Jesus's authority as God's Son. I'm not being
sarcastic. I just love Him so much I need to be crystal clear every day about
who He is and what He did for us and who we are. Jesus is our Lord, and He died
for us. And we are sinners! But keep in mind, He loved us anyway. That's the
whole message. Real authority doesn't just impress a crowd. It exposes what's
hidden. That's what happens the second Jesus opens His mouth in Capernaum. The
unclean spirit in that man can't stay quiet anymore. It has to come out, because
it has no choice.
Here's the good
news, sisters and brothers: none of the evil out there, none of these
destructive worldly powers, hold any power whatsoever against Jesus. They may think
they do. It may look like they do. But Jesus will have the last Word.
So, abide in the
Word of God. Study it! Read it! Learn it! Love it! Give it your time every
single day you open your eyes. Let it shape your thoughts, your conversations,
your whole life; whatever we fill our hearts with is exactly what will come out
when we need to speak. If the people around you won't talk about Scripture,
find people who will. If you don't own a bible, ask someone for one. Seek God’s
Word daily. You will understand that, and then you will see how your life depends on it.
Question:
What's still
hiding in you, waiting to be exposed the moment you let His authority speak?
Don't look away.
Real faith isn't timid; it's bold. Bold enough to trust the path Jesus has
already set before you, not the one you'd draw yourself. Bold enough to seek
truth everywhere, not just the comfortable truth.
So, ask yourself
again, and don't rush past it this time: what's hiding in you? And are you bold
enough, right now, to let it be exposed?
Rosary Man Jim 🌹
Freely given. Freely
shared.
