Tuesday of the Twenty-second Week in Ordinary Time
(I Corinthians 2:10b-16; Luke 4:31-37)
The gospels view the world as captured by malevolent spiritual
powers. From their viewpoint the evil
spirits foster suspicion and rejection rather than love. They see Jesus as defeating these demonic
forces and retaking the world for God.
In today’s passage Jesus handily ejects a demon or evil spirit from a
man at the synagogue.
In the first reading St. Paul explains the dynamic of Jesus
takeover. Many people, but not all to
the same extent, are affected by evil spirits.
These spirits – hatred, lust, pride, etc. – move the people to sin. Christians, he says, through the victory of
Christ have been given the Holy Spirit who likewise shapes their actions. The Spirit inspires them to love, reconcile, and
rejoice.
Not only should we be aware that the Spirit moves within us;
we should also renew the Spirit. Prayer
and sacraments accomplish the task. So also
does association with good people and reading edifying literature. Done deliberately,
it is not a daunting but rather a satisfying task.
