The liturgy of the fourth Sunday in ordinary time is based on the following readings: Deuteronomy 18:15-20; Psalm 95; 1 Corinthians 7:32-35; Mark 1:21-28.

The main theme of these readings is on the authority of Jesus Christ.  He comes into the world and enters the hearts of his eager hearers, and liberates them from the bondage of sin and he heals those possessed by demons. The liturgy calls us to heed the Word and not to harden our hearts, but rather greet him with thanksgiving.  

Mark the Evangelist in his narrative presents us with glimpses of Christ who keeps his audience in total suspense wondering at his teaching, because he taught with authority and not like the scribes. All had noticed that Christ’s voice commands awe and respect, because it is the Word of God that spoke.  When Christ commands the demon to leave the possessed man, he makes no reference to the long, complicated exorcism rite common among the Jews of his time which has persisted to the present day. That rite is still two-fold: it implores God’s action and then, in God’s name, commands the demon to depart. Christ has no need of this, because he is the Word and hence authority itself. He has no need to implore God’s authority; he is God. And the demons know it. That is why the demons are scared by Christ’s command telling them to disappear. The demons were so tormented and the people wondered who Christ was. His fame, teaching and reputation spread throughout Galilee. 

While Christ’s presence tormented the demons, it was very different with people. He did not only free those enslaved by the demons, but his teaching imparted truth to his listeners. Unlike a mere good human teacher, Christ’s teaching; his word, does not work from outside, it enters inside us and reach our minds and hearts if we let him. This acceptance becomes our assent which then can clear all obstacles and permit us to fully accept the truth of his word. When dealing with people, his action is intimate and profound, reaching every dark and hidden part of our minds and hearts. In addition, he moves our souls to help us accept his word the more and act upon it.  

Evidently, Christ’s teaching is acceptable only through the gift of faith. No amount of human reasoning, even by the brightest of minds, equals a humble act of faith by the simplest of souls. Christ offers the gift of faith which comes to us through his word, the Church, and our study of the truth. He comes and acts in our souls to enable his word to take root in us and grow. He gives us that kind of intuition of divine things and moves our intellects with the gift of faith, and enlightens them with the gift of the Holy Spirit called understanding. It is this kind of understanding that should make a difference for a Christian.   

From the pastoral point of view, we should be relieved to know that when the Word comes to us, and the Holy Spirit inhabits our souls, we are then helped to live according to the word’s teaching even down to the banalities of our daily life. But in order to ensure that none of this is left to our subjective tendencies, imagination, natural inclinations, or prejudices, Christ has given us the Church with which he entrusted the task of preserving his doctrine and transmitting it unaltered and complete, again helped by the Holy Spirit.

In a word, the liturgy is telling us that since Christ is our Lord and Teacher, we must accept everything he tells us through the Spirit of God. The same liturgy reminds us that Christ’s teaching is already at work deep within our consciences. Hence, when it comes to searching for God we needn’t go far. He is in your heart! This is a fact that we must all learn to explore and profit from it to the maximum.  
 
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