Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Luke 4, 31-37
Jesus went down to Capernaum, a town of Galilee.
He taught them on the sabbath,
and they were astonished at his teaching
because he spoke with authority.
In the synagogue there was a man with the spirit of an unclean demon,
and he cried out in a loud voice,
“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, “Be quiet! Come out of him!”
Then the demon threw the man down in front of them
and came out of him without doing him any harm.
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.
Authority
1. His teaching. There are moments in life that mark us forever, that teach us, and there are stormy nights that leave a mark that we learn from. Many of us turn to God to be our savior or our provider or our calm. But we have also felt God’s silence when we were not well or when everything was coming down on us and it seemed that God did not act. At the moment of God’s silence, when we feel that we desperately need him, sometimes we feel anger towards God, or we abandon him. There are times when only a really great tempest can lead us to trust in him again or to remember him. Frustration is sometimes the reason why we look for God because that’s when we realize that we can’t handle everything, and that’s when our authority falls, and we become aware of God’s authority.
2. Farmer. The story goes that a farmer asked God that he may be able to decide the weather in his area so that his crops would yield as much as possible. God granted his wish and when the farmer asked for rain, it rained and when he wanted sun, the sun came out. This was what he had arranged with God. But at the moment of the harvest, he was sadly shocked because it had all been a failure. He was upset and angry, and so he went to God and asked, “What did I do wrong in my weather wishes? Because I asked you from my knowledge and experience.” Then God said to him, “You did what you wanted and not what suited your plantation; you didn’t ask for storms, and they are very necessary to cleanse the air and drive away the birds”. Yes, storms in life are necessary, they come without our asking for them. But when the storms appear in life, cling to the God of life, and resist. Just as in this Gospel the Lord comes to free this boy from a demon, He will also come to free your life in the storms you must go through. There are times when God allows storms and pains to add to your notebook of stories, so that you can understand that He is there.
3. Authority. The authority that God gives you is through experience and humility. What you face and struggle through allows you to grow and help others to grow. The purpose of authority is order and growth. And who has this kind of authority? Only those who are wise and give flavor to life and to the life of those around them. Live your life fully and love it with what God has given you. Don’t seek to have authority, but rather strive to live your life with joy. and authority will come from experience.
Remember something good is on the way!
God bless you and guard you in the name of the Father, of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
