Daily Gospel Reflection
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January 15, 2019
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.
The Gospel today reminds us that Satan is real, and that demons prowl about the world seeking the ruin of souls—an important, if unpopular, reminder. As C.S. Lewis observes in his preface to The Screwtape Letters, one of the greatest errors we can make about demons is “to disbelieve in their existence.” More importantly, however, the Gospel reminds us that Christ’s power is greater than Satan’s and that even the unclean spirits are subject to his authority.
While demonic possessions like the kind displayed in this Gospel are rare, we all encounter evil spirits through temptation, an unfortunate daily experience. But if Christ can cast out demons who have taken full possession of someone, he certainly can—and does—give us sufficient grace to resist every temptation that comes our way.
I have found that fostering a healthy spiritual life through daily prayer and frequent participation in the Sacraments helps me resist temptation. In my daily prayer—especially in those first waking moments of the day—I frequently renew my baptismal promises, including the rejection of Satan, and all his works, and all his empty show. Naming the specific demons I struggle with—anger, envy, pride, lust, etc.—often helps me, with God’s grace, to overcome them.
While we should not ignore the reality of Satan, we should ultimately have faith in Christ’s power to save us. As Saint John Paul II said so often, “Be not afraid.” Fear leads us to shy away from answering God’s call and aligning our will with his. Fear, inspired by the Devil, prevents us from trusting we are capable of doing what God is calling us to do or that God knows our needs and desires even better than we. Today’s Gospel should inspire us to cast out fear and place our unfailing trust in the Lord Jesus.
Prayer
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. Paul the Hermit was forced to flee to the desert to survive, but ended up living there an amazingly long time.
Paul was born around the year 230 in Egypt to an upper-class Christian family. He was well-educated, but left an orphan at the age of 15. The persecutions of Decius began a few years later, and members of his family planned a scheme to seize control of his property by reporting him as a Christian to the authorities. He fled both his family and the authorities by going into the desert and living in a cave.
The hermitic lifestyle suited Paul well and he spent the rest of his 113 year-long life surviving off fruit and water and wearing leaves. He spent most of his time in prayer, and a legend tells of a raven bringing him bread for sustenance.
St. Anthony the Abbot, who is traditionally credited with formalizing the monastic movement, visited Paul and became friends with him. (In fact, Anthony’s feast day lands in two days.) When he died, Anthony buried Paul in a cloak that was given to him by St. Athanasius, and it is said that two lions helped dig the grave. The two friends—Paul and Anthony—are depicted in murals in the Basilica on opposite-facing walls. St. Paul’s image includes the bread-bearing raven, and his relics rest in the reliquary chapel in the Basilica.
St. Paul the Hermit, who lived nearly 100 years in the desert on little more than prayer, pray for us!