Homily 4th Sunday in Ordinary Time year B I Homily for 28 January 2024

 

My dear friends today we celebrate the fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time Year B. The 1st reading taken from the book of Deuteronomy is set at the end of Moses’ life as the wandering Israelites prepare to enter the Promised Land. This passage recalls the giving of the law in Exodus 20 and explains the reason why prophets are needed. When the Israelites heard God speak they were so frightened, that they begged Moses to speak with God and be their mediator.

The reading speaks about Yahweh raising up a prophet like Moses from among the people. Most likely this passage was originally intended to validate the line of prophets that arose in Israel over the centuries, however, over time this passage came to be understood as an eschatological promise. The promised prophet was understood to be a person who would come during the messianic age. We see a reference to this being made in the gospel of John. When the people asked John the Baptist if he was the prophet (John 1:21). The One that John was announcing was the Messiah, the prophet for whom the people were waiting.

The challenge then and now remains in identifying who is the true prophet? There are lots of people who claim to speak for God today: TV evangelists, prosperity preachers, and even self-help gurus. The answer to this quesion in the text is clear - If what the prophet says comes true, then the prophet is speaking for God. However, what about those issues which are simply unknowable in this life. How do we know the authenticity of the prophet then? So here are a few points to look into. The true prophet seeks neither self-promotion nor riches. The true prophet speaks God’s word and not his or her own. A true prophet doesn’t seek popularity but speaks the harsh truth to people. The true prophet is known by his or her “fruit.” Does the prophet lead others to be disciples of Jesus or themselves? The prophet lives the life that he preaches.

The second reading taken from St. Paul’s 1st letter to the Corinthians is a continuation of the chapter from last Sunday. We have to bear in mind that St. Paul’s writing is to be understood in the context of an imminent Second Coming of Jesus. Paul states that when a person doesn’t have family responsibilities, they are more “free” to serve God. Single people can give more time to the Lord and exclusively give themselves to the Lord because they have fewer distractions in life. Marriage necessitates devotion to the spouses and married people must meet the daily demands of life. Marriage offers diversions from complete devotion to the Lord while being single has fewer distractions. Paul isn’t saying that it’s bad for married people to care for their spouses, in fact he is saying the opposite. The message for us from this passage is not so much about being single or getting married but having a single minded devotion to the Lord irrespective of our state of life.

In the gospel passage taken from Mark, the central theme is the nature and issue of Jesus’ authority. In the first part we have Jesus and his disciples teaching at the synagogue on the Sabbath. The people who heard him teach were amazed, “for he taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes.” The Greek word for authority – exousia (ἐξουσία),  is related to the verb exesti, which refers to power of choice or action, liberty or authority of doing as one pleases. Jesus’ teaching in freedom is contrasted with the teaching of the scribes. The teachers of the law didn’t speak with their own authority. As was customary at that time they began their comments with a reference - “There is a saying that…” or “Rabbi Such-and-Such said…” Even the prophets for that matter attributed their pronouncements to Yahweh by saying - “Thus says the Lord…” But Jesus on the other hand said, “I say to you…” Unlike the scribes, Jesus’ authority is rooted in the fact that He is the Son of God and his authority comes from God. Paradoxically we see that the unclean spirit that opposes Jesus recognizes that he is the Holy One of God, while the disciples who follow him do not understand him fully despite his teaching and powerful deeds.

In the second part, the focus on Jesus’ authority continues through the narration of an exorcism.  At one level we can view this narrative literally as only an exorcism but at a deeper level we will notice that there is a parallel between the elements in this story with the story of Jesus stilling the storm (Mk 4:35-40). Both these narratives focus on a similar point: Jesus has authority over both the natural world i.e winds and sea and the supernatural world i.e. demons.

The devil or satan has fascinated people over the centuries. Back in the times of Jesus, evil spirits were considered to be numerous and powerful ready to inflict trouble and suffering. The exorcists back then used complicated magical rites and spells to compel the demon to leave. Today, with the advancement of medical sciences, though we have a better understanding of the human person and the human mind, the devil still seems to be the centre of attraction more than Jesus Himself. In Hollywood movies which span over two hours, most often only the last part highlights the power of God over evil. One begins to wonder if the focus is on the devil more than God. Ironical as it might sound, while we give a lot of attention to demonic possessions – the actual cases of which are indeed very rare; we tend to conveniently ignore the evils which are more widespread. The evils of racism, sexism, religious and ideological intolerance, domestic violence, sexual abuse and addictions are rarely part of our discussions. These are the evils which need to be spoken about more.

When we look at Jesus we see that he did not really have any power or authority in terms of being a political, military or religious figure. The authority he had came from the fact that he followed the will of God perfectly and Jesus used his authority not to obtain power for himself but to serve others. At a time when people are looking for solutions to their problems in the words of false prophets and things like tarot cards and horoscopes, the readings invite us to having a single minded devotion to the Lord and place our trust in the Son of God – Jesus Christ who alone has the power and authority over every evil in the world. May God bless us all.