04 Sept. Tuesday of Week Twenty Two

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1 Cor 2:10ff. One who is taught by the Spirit of God can judge things correctly and knows their innermost self. Such as these have the mind of Christ.

Luke 4:31ff. On the Sabbath Jesus instructs in the synagogue with authority and drives out demons. The people are spellbound by his teaching and astonished at his power.

Crucial Moments

Most of the time, life plods along without much excitement, routine setting the pace of every day. But Paul has a sprightlier view of things: “All of you are children of light and of the day. We belong neither to darkness nor to night.” Often, what happens unexpectedly has been lurking in the shadows of our character. It can be a healthy purification to come clean and be out with it. But we cannot arrive at the truth about ourselves without the light of the Holy Spirit. We hear again from Paul: “The natural person does not accept what is taught by the Spirit of God.” Indeed, we rely heavily on the Holy Spirit to put our inner selves back together again, once we have experienced any serious transition. In this “we have the mind of Christ,” says Paul. We must believe God’s providence embraces this sudden change and can direct our life as Christ’s was directed.

Even if we resist change in our lives, we are never in a hopeless bind. Suddenly on any Sabbath day Jesus comes into our midst, instructing us and driving out our “devil” of fear and anger. We are “spellbound by his teaching, for the words have authority.” Jesus speaks to our heart and opens the dark reserves of our unconscious. We are “struck with astonishment as he commands the unclean spirit with.. power.” Through Scripture and prayer, through homilies and advice, we are in Jesus’ presence. A new quiet descends on us and we may even welcome a new stretch of routine or even monotony.

First Reading. 1 Corinthians 2:10-16

These things God has revealed to us through the Spirit. For the Spirit searches everything, even the depths of God. For what person knows a man’s thoughts except the spirit of the man which is in him? So also no one comprehends the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit which is from God, that we might understand the gifts bestowed on us by God. And we impart this in words not taught by human wisdom but taught by the Spirit, interpreting spiritual truths to those who possess the Spirit.

The unspiritual man does not receive the gifts of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because the are spiritually discerned. The spiritual man judges all things, but is himself to be judged by no one. “For who has known the mind of the Lord so as to instruct him?” But we have the mind of Christ.

Gospel: Luke 4:31-37

He went down to Capernaum, a city in Galilee, and was teaching them on the Sabbath. They were astounded at his teaching, because he spoke with authority. In the synagogue there was a man who had the spirit of an unclean demon, and he cried out with a loud voice, “Let us alone! 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.” But Jesus rebuked him, saying, “Be silent, and come out of him!” When the demon had thrown him down before them, he came out of him without having done him any harm. They were all amazed and kept saying to one another, “What kind of utterance is this? For with authority and power he commands the unclean spirits, and out they come!” And a report about him began to reach every place in the region.

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