Monday, January 23, 2023

 Monday of the Third Week in Ordinary Time

(Hebrews 9:15.24-28; Mark 3:22-30)

In today’s gospel scribes have come from Jerusalem to see Jesus.  No doubt, they want to investigate the wonders that have been attributed to him.  Their conclusion is astonishing.  They say, despite his attention to prayer and compassion, that Jesus can cure illness and expel demons because he is in league with the devil!

However, Jesus is not dismayed. He responds to the accusation with an analogy that challenges people today but perhaps was not lost on those surrounding him.  He compares Satan’s control over the world to a strong man’s possession of a house.  Then Jesus compares himself to an even stronger man who has come into Satan’s house and tied him up Satan.  As a result, the household is liberated of Satan’s perverse rule.

The evangelist Mark is telling us that Jesus has delivered us from sin and death.  We must not refuse his liberation out of a liking for or familiarity with sinful ways.  For the sake of our salvation and others, we must give ourselves over to him.