Daily Gospel Reflection

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January 14, 2025

Tuesday of the First Week in Ordinary Time
Mk 1:21-28
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Jesus came to Capernaum with his followers,
and on the sabbath he entered the synagogue and taught.
The people were astonished at his teaching,
for he taught them as one having authority and not as the scribes.
In their synagogue was a man with an unclean spirit;
he cried out, “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!”
Jesus rebuked him and said, “Quiet! Come out of him!”
The unclean spirit convulsed him and with a loud cry came out of him.
All were amazed and asked one another,
“What is this?
A new teaching with authority.
He commands even the unclean spirits and they obey him.”
His fame spread everywhere throughout the whole region of Galilee.

Reflection

Lauren Chval Kaveney ’13
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When we were young children, my brother and I were notorious for being know-it-alls at church. We knew the stories and always had the right answer when asked. When he was eight or nine, my brother interrupted a children’s service to offer a correction: It had been Aaron, not Moses, who had thrown down his staff.

What catches my attention in today’s passage is the word “authority.” Who gets to speak about God with authority? Certainly, when I was young, I felt authority came from knowing all the answers. The older I get, the more I realize how much I do not know—and cannot know—and sometimes that feels at odds with having a strong faith.

For those who are used to always getting it right, it can be uncomfortable to admit that we do not have authority when it comes to God. In my life, I have gone to great lengths to always be in control, always make the right decision, and yet that doesn’t make me an authority. It makes me someone who has to work that much harder each day to humble herself to submit to God’s leadership.

Jesus spoke with authority because of the time he spent with the Father in prayer, so much so that even the unclean spirits recognized him as “Holy One of God!” Submitting ourselves to God will be a lifelong journey, but one God will lead us on—if we let him.

Prayer

​​Rev. Stephen Lacroix, C.S.C.

Lord Jesus, you healed the sick, cast out demons, and cared for the lost and hopeless. Heal us from the damage caused by our sins, and cast out all hatred, jealousy, lust, and wrath from our hearts. And when we have experienced your healing touch, make us ready to serve you joyfully and to share your peace with others. We ask this in your holy name. Amen.

Saint of the Day

St. Felix

St. Felix had remarkable humility, which made him a great friend to the poor and a servant in all things.

Felix was born in Nola, which is near present-day Naples, Italy, in the third-century Roman Empire. His father was a Roman soldier who had retired, and when he died, Felix gave his inheritance to the poor and became a priest.

He was ordained by Bishop St. Maximus of Nola (whose feast day is tomorrow) and became his assistant. When the emperor Decius began persecuting Christians in 250, Maximus fled to the desert. Authorities arrested Felix instead and beat him. Legend tells us that an angel repeatedly freed Felix from prison so that he could care for the ailing Maximus, whom he brought back to Nola.

When Maximus died, the people called for Felix to replace him as bishop, but Felix deferred out of seniority to another man who had been ordained a week longer. Felix spent the rest of his life farming a small piece of land and giving what little he had to those who were even poorer than he.

Felix died on this date in 255 of natural causes, but because of his imprisonment and torture, he was venerated by the early Church as a martyr. His tomb in Nola became famous for the many miracles reported there, and his relics rest in the reliquary chapel of the Basilica, as do the relics of his mentor, St. Maximus.

St. Felix, who humbly cared for the poor and who suffered for his faith, pray for us!


Image Credit: Our featured image of St. Felix is used with permission from Catholic Online. Last accessed November 14, 2024.