Trong Tin Mừng hôm nay Chúa Giêsu đã có những lời nói đầy uy thẩm quyền và thế lực. Chính thế, chỉ một lời phán của Ngài mà Ngài có thể làm biến đổi tất cả mọi sự, kể cả việc chữa lành các bệnh tật nan y khó chữa cho những ai đã tin vào Ngài. Nhũng lời rao giảng của Ngài đã gây rất nhiều bị ảnh hưởng trong dân chúng; và sức mạnh Tinh thần của Ngài đã được truyền đi để gieo vào tâm hồn của dân chúng, phép lạ của Ngài cho thấy Chúa Giêsu là Người có quyền điều khiển và chinh phục cả Satan, là người bác sĩ chữa lành tất cả mọi thứ bệnh tật. Uy quyền của Chúa Giêsu không phải chỉ bằng lời nói và những giáo huấn, như câu tuyr65n trong Tin Mừng hôm nay, Ngay trong hội đường của người Do Thái, Ngài đã làm cho ma quỷ trong nguời bị quỷ ám phải sợ hãi và phải vậng lện ngài mà rời bỏ thoát ra khỏ người bị quỷ ám đấy Ma quỷ đã phải sợ hãi Chúa Giêsu và sức mạnh của Ngài: "Ngài đã đến để diệt chúng tôi? Tôi biết Ngài là ai, là Đấng Thánh của Thiên Chúa. " Hầu hết trong chúng ta ai cũng có một chút quyền hành trong cuộc sống, trong công việc làm, trong gia đình, cho dù là một người mẹ, một giáo viên, một chuyên viên với trách nhiệm và v.v…. \ Chúng ta hãy tin rằng, chúng ta sẽ sử dụng quyền hành của chúng ta trong một cách nào đó để giúp người khác có cơ hội phát triền tài năng của họ, chứ không dung quyền hành của mình để hã uy tín và gây khó dễ cho người khác. Chức quyền, và quyền hành của chúng ta phải được dựa trên tình yêu thương thực sự và cúc quyền này phải nên được dùng cho mục đích xây dựng nhân loại. Chúng ta hãy cầu xon Chúa cho tất cả những người đã lạm dụng quyền hành của họ biết thay đổi và có thể học nơi Chúa cách dung quyền hành của mình trên cơ sở của lòng yêu thương, nhân hậu thực sự.\
In today’s gospel Jesus spoke with authority
and power. That is, his word had power to transform, heal and set free those
who believe in him. His preaching much affected the people; and a power went
with it to touch people's conscience. His miracles showed Jesus to be a
controller and conqueror of Satan, a healer of diseases. Jesus' authority was
not only in word and teaching. Right there in the synagogue as he spoke to a
man possessed by an “unclean spirit”, that spirit spoke through the possessed
man.
It
spoke in fear of the power of Jesus. “Have you come to destroy us? I know who
you are, the Holy One of God.” Most of us possess authority of some kind,
whether as a parent, a teacher, a professional with responsibility and so on.
Let us make sure that we use that authority in such a way as to enhance the
abilities of others rather than diminish them. Our authority should be based on
real love and it should be used for the purpose of building humanity.
Let
us pray for all those people who misuse authority so that they may learn to use
it on the basis of real love.
Tuesday
22nd Ordinary Time 2023
They were all amazed and said to one another,
“What is there about his word? For with authority and power he commands the
unclean spirits, and they come out.” And news of him spread everywhere in the
surrounding region. Luke 4:36–37
Jesus had just encountered the wrath of many
in His hometown of Nazareth, so He left there and traveled about 30 miles to
Capernaum, a town just north of the Sea of Galilee. This was to become His new
home during His public ministry. The reaction He received in Capernaum was much
different than that which He received in Nazareth. As He taught in the
Synagogue in Capernaum, a man with a demon came to Him, Jesus rebuked the demon
and cast it out, and the people were amazed. Word spread about Jesus quickly.
After this, Jesus performed many other miracles, and the people continued to be
in awe of Him.
What was it that impressed the people of
Capernaum? In part it was the “authority and power” with which Jesus spoke and
acted. But it was not only this, since Jesus had done so also in Nazareth where
the people failed to believe in Him. In Capernaum it wasn’t that Jesus was
different, it seems that the people were different. Jesus won over many hearts
in Capernaum because the people were open to the gift of faith. In fact, when
Jesus was preparing to leave from Capernaum, the people begged Him to stay. Though
eventually Jesus would also encounter resistance from the people there, their
initial reaction was one of faith.
Do you want Jesus to act powerfully in your
life? Do you want Him to act upon you with authority and power? Many people,
from time to time, can feel as though their lives are somewhat out of control.
They experience weakness, confusion, a lack of direction and the like. For that
reason, true spiritual “authority and power” is very welcome. What sort of
authority and power do you need Jesus to exert over your life today?
Think of a small child who is
frightened. When this happens, the child turns to a loving parent for comfort
and security. The embrace of a parent immediately helps to dispel the fear and
worry of the child. So it is with us.
We must see Jesus as the source of calm in our lives. He is the
only one Who is capable of ordering our lives, freeing us from the attacks of
the evil one, bringing peace and calm to our disordered emotions and clarity to
our questions and doubts. But this will only be possible if we are open. His
power never changes, but it can only enter our lives when we change and when we
recognize our weakness and our need for Him to take control.
Reflect, today, upon the infinite spiritual
authority and power of our Lord. It is a power beyond anything else we could
imagine. He wants to exercise this authority in your life out of love. What is
hindering Him from taking greater control of your life? What sin or temptation
does Jesus want to rebuke in your life? From what oppression does He want to
set you free? Reflect upon yourself being a member of the town of Capernaum who
fully welcomes Jesus, is amazed at Him and desires Him in your life. His working
in your life depends upon you and your response to Him. Call on Him and let Him
in.
My most powerful Lord, You and You alone are
able to take authority over my life and bring order and peace. Please remove
any doubt and stubbornness from my heart so that I can open myself to You and
Your grace. Take authority of my life, dear Lord, and lead me into Your most
holy will. Jesus, I trust in You.
Tuesday
22nd Ordinary Time 2023
Opening
Prayer: Dear Lord Jesus, I look
forward to this time of prayer with you. Help me to rest in you, be close to
you, to be intentionally transparent with you and myself. I want to hear your
word, ponder it, and put it into practice. I entrust myself to your grace, O
Lord.
Encountering Christ:
“He Spoke with
Authority”: The people in the
synagogue were astonished because Jesus spoke with authority. Wherein lay his
authority? He was not bossy; rather everything he said carried a weight to it.
This went beyond the miracles; it was rooted in his very demeanor. People naturally
tended to believe and obey Jesus since his words and commands were so true and
so good. It was believable when he declared himself to be the way, the truth,
and the life (John 14:6). Some people, like the Pharisees, could resist
believing in him, but it took effort because to do so contradicted both the
intellect and the heart. When there was an openness and continued contact,
there would be eventual faith. In some cases, as with the first apostles, it
happened quickly (The Public Life of Our Lord Jesus Christ, pp 37-51).
The Cry of the
Demons: The demons cried in a
loud voice, “Ha! 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!” Demons are not
all-knowing; only God is. However, they are pure spirits, have greater
intelligence than we do, and are more aware of spiritual realities. These
demons recognized what some people did not; Jesus was the “Holy One of God.”
This encounter terrified the demons. They recognized in Jesus a sanctity that
made him not only impervious to their attacks but gave him an irresistible
authority over them. In another passage, the demons in the Gerasene demoniac
asked, ‘“I beg you, do not torment me!” (Luke 8:30). Demons have real power and
must not be toyed with through dabbling in things like the occult. However,
they are powerless before God. The Christian need not fear the devil and his
cohort when united to Christ through grace.
“Come Out of
Him!”: Jesus has come to save
man from Satan’s grasp. Through his death and Resurrection, Our Lord opened the
gates of heaven to man. His salvific work had already begun in his public
ministry by forgiving sins and freeing people from demonic possession. Jesus was
firm and uncompromising with the demons. While he allowed them to possess
swine, he always cast them out from humans (Luke 8:32).
Conversing with
Christ: Lord Jesus, you
continuously remind me that “Even though I walk through the valley of the
shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your
staff comfort me” (Psalms 23:4). You are there to protect me from all harm but
most importantly from spiritual harm. Please deliver me from temptation and
evil so that I may follow you to the “green pastures” of heaven (Psalms 23:2).
Resolution: Lord, today by your grace I will pray and offer a
small sacrifice for the conversion of those involved in witchcraft and the
occult.
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