Jan. 31, 2021: 4th Sunday B
Jan. 31, 2021: 4th Sunday B
Those of you who like to watch Western movies may be familiar with this phrase, “There is a new sheriff in town.” A typical Western movie plot would be: a town falling into disorder and lawlessness, because the person in charge was powerless to do anything against corruption and evil, is then saved when a new sheriff arrives with a strong moral code and the means to implement change to sweep away corruption and enforce the rule of law. Sometimes we also desire someone to come and clean up the lawlessness and chaos reigning in our hearts.
Imagine the scene in today’s gospel. People who are gathered in the synagogue were mesmerized by the preaching of Jesus. His words penetrated their hearts, and they began to realize that his teaching was vastly different from the teachings of the scribes and the pharisees. Then abruptly, a man cried out in a piercing, beastly voice, “What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us?” Those in the synagogue may have collectively jumped out of their skin, petrified by the voice. However, Jesus was unfazed. “Quiet! Come out of him!” Upon Jesus’ command, the man fell down on the ground, rolling and convulsing. Once the demon departs from the man, there is eerie silence. People in the synagogue look upon Jesus with a different light and a new respect. “What is this? A new teaching with authority. He commands even the unclean spirits and they obey him.” If this was a Western movie, someone may have said, “There is a new sheriff in town.” Jesus ushered in a new order on earth, “Behold, I am making all things new.” (Rev. 21:5) And, “whoever is in Christ is a new creation: the old things have passed away; behold, new things have come.” (2 Cor 5:17)
The good news is that Jesus delegated his power and authority to drive out the power of darkness to his disciples. Even today by a simple utterance of Jesus’ name in faith, demons who have been tormenting a soul obey the commands to depart. Jesus’ name is terror upon demons precisely because Jesus is the Son of the God Most High, and he has been given all authority in heaven and on earth with dominion over all, dominion even over Satan and the demons. Jesus came to dismantle the powers of Satan and his grip on God’s children. As we enter Lent in a couple of weeks we will reflect on the passion, death, and resurrection of Jesus in order to atone for our sins and to satisfy the demands of God’s law. By Jesus’ sacrifice on the Cross he triumphed over Satan and disarmed the power that he holds over God’s people, particularly the power of death because sin leads to death.
This begs the question, if Satan’s power has been dismantled, how is it that he still wreaks havoc in our lives? While Satan has no power or authority over God’s children, he can utilize temptation to derail our happiness in God. Satan’s dark minions are constantly conniving ways to plant seeds of division, separation, confusion, and doubt, The evil one is an expert at pitting one against the other--husband against wife, children against parents, siblings against another sibling, a Christian against another Christian, community against community, and nation against nation. In recent months I’m concerned that good, faithful Catholics are failing to recognize the divisive works of the devil as he utilizes this time of pandemic to pit one against another. Have you found yourself angry, exasperated, or disappointed by what you’ve been reading and hearing during this time? Have you recently engaged in a heated debate or argue in person or on social media about the pandemic, politics, or religion?
St. John of the Cross wrote that prayer is the only way to overcome the devil’s strength. In prayer, the soul gains self-knowledge, humility, and discernment to test the spirit. The devil enjoys baiting us with pride, that is, tempting us to desire to be number one, to be right all the time, and to come out looking good. During Lent, we will hear once again about the devil tempting Christ in the desert with power, influence, riches, and pleasure. Jesus overcame the temptations through fasting, prayer, and humility. Just as Jesus showed his disciples how to overcome the devil’s temptations, we need to learn how to recognize and overcome the wiles of the devil.
