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Tuesday – Twenty-second Week – OT2
Readings: 1 Cor 2:10b-16; Lk 4:31-37.
Reading 1 (1 Cor 2:10b-16): Brothers and sisters:
The Spirit scrutinizes everything, even the depths of God.
Among men, who knows what pertains to the man
except his spirit that is within?
Similarly, no one knows what pertains to God except the Spirit of God.
We have not received the spirit of the world
but the Spirit who is from God,
so that we may understand the things freely given us by God.
And we speak about them not with words taught by human wisdom,
but with words taught by the Spirit,
describing spiritual realities in spiritual terms.
Now the natural man does not accept what pertains to the Spirit of God,
for to him it is foolishness, and he cannot understand it,
because it is judged spiritually.
The one who is spiritual, however, can judge everything
but is not subject to judgment by anyone.
For “who has known the mind of the Lord, so as to counsel him?”
But we have the mind of Christ.
Gospel (Lk 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.
Fr. Anthony Dinh Minh Tien, O.P.
I. THEME: The important role of the Holy Spirit in human life
God’s mysteries are over the limit of human understanding. In order to understand them, people need to have God’s help. One of God’s helps is the role of the Holy Spirit which Jesus asked the Father to send him to the faithful.
Today readings help us to understand the Holy Spirit’s important role in the faithful’s life. In the first reading, St. Paul helped us to understand the Holy Spirit’s role in understanding of God’s mysteries. In the Gospel, Jesus helped us to understand the Holy Spirit’s role in sanctification of people, especially in expelling of unclean spirits.
II. ANALYSIS:
1/ Reading I: The Holy Spirit helps people to fathom God’s mysteries.
1.1/ How to understand the Holy Spirit’s activities in human life: St. Paul used an analogy to explain the necessary of the Holy Spirit in understanding of God’s mysteries as follows: “Among human beings, who knows what pertains to a person except the spirit of the person that is within? Similarly, no one knows what pertains to God except the Spirit of God.”
First, Paul wanted to differentiate many kinds of spirits in the world, such as: the Spirit of God, the human spirit and the unclean spirit. Secondly, he wanted to say that there are many deep secrets in each person which others shall never know or understand except the spirit of that person. Similarly, there are some mysteries in God which no one can know or understand except the Spirit of God, that is: the Holy Spirit. Human beings can only understand God’s mysteries when Christ and the Holy Spirit chose to reveal them for people.
One of examples which Jesus told Peter when he professed that Christ is the Son of God, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah; for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my heavenly Father” (Mt 16:17). Another example when St. Paul declared, “And no one can say, “Jesus is Lord,” except by the Holy Spirit” (1 Cor 12:3b). It is by the Holy Spirit’s guidance that we can fathom the deep mysteries in God.
1.2/ The Holy Spirit helps preachers to present God’s mysteries: Before a preacher can present God’s mysteries, he needs to be guided by the Holy Spirit to understand them because he can’t explain to people what he doesn’t understand. Once he understood, he must be guided by the Holy Spirit in presenting them to hearers as Paul said, “And we speak about them not with words taught by human wisdom, but with words taught by the Spirit, describing spiritual realities in spiritual terms.”
1.3/ The Holy Spirit also helps hearers to understand and to live God’s words: The Holy Spirit acts not only on preachers but also on hearers; if he doesn’t, hearers shall not understand or misunderstand God’s mysteries. St. Paul explained, “We have not received the spirit of the world but the Spirit that is from God so that we may understand the things freely given us by God… Now the natural person does not accept what pertains to the Spirit of God, for to him it is foolishness, and he cannot understand it, because it is judged spiritually. The spiritual person, however, can judge everything but is not subject to judgment by anyone.”
And he concluded the necessary of the Holy Spirit’s role in understanding God’s mysteries as follows: “For “who has known the mind of the Lord, so as to counsel him?” But we have the mind of Christ.” This affirmation shows that the Spirit of Christ is the same Spirit who helped Paul and all preachers to understand what Christ has taught, and the same Spirit who helps hearers so that they may understand God’s mysteries through preachers.
2/ Gospel: The Holy Spirit sanctifies the faithful.
2.1/ Christ’s word has power because it is guided by the Holy Spirit: When people listen to preachers, they shall recognize the value of their words depending on knowledge they possessed. The more the audience have knowlege the more understanding what preachers want to say. In today passage, when Jesus came to Capernaum, a major town of Galilee, to teach people on a Sabbath, people were astonished of his teaching because his words have power.
2.2/ The reaction of the unclean spirit: In oppose to the Holy Spirit’s presence is the devil’s presence. If the Holy Spirit helps people to fathom God’s mysteries, the devil finds ways to prevent people from understanding these mysteries. The Egyptians believe that there are thirty-six kinds of devils who are always waiting to enter people through human senses to cause damages for people, such as: the mute, the deaf, the immoral, the lecherous, etc. The unclean spirit in today passage might be the lecherous demon; they were afraid of Jesus’ power when they said, “Ha! 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!”
First of all, we need to believe that the devil only has power on people, never on God and on those protected by God. He destroys the devil’s power by two ways:
(1) By God’s power: In today passage, St. Luke reported that Jesus rebuked the demon, “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.
(2) By God’s words: In the Old Testament, especially in calling prophets, God destroyed the uncleanness by putting His word in Jeremiah’s mouth (Jer 1:9), or by commanding Ezekiel to open his mouth and swallowing His word (Eze 3:2). Once they have God’s word, they also have God’s presence and power. In the New Testament, Jesus’ disciples were also purified by God’s word. In Jesus’ prayer to the Father, he prayed so that the Father may sanctify his disciples in truth, “Consecrate them in the truth. Your word is truth. As you sent me into the world, so I sent them into the world. And I consecrate myself for them, so that they also may be consecrated in truth” (Jn 17:17-19).
Once they have these words, they also have the Holy Spirit’s presence and power so that they can expel demons by these words. In today passage, people were astonished of Jesus’ expulsion of demon, “What is there about his word? For with authority and power he commands the unclean spirits, and they come out.”
III. APPLICATION IN LIFE:
(1) The Holy Spirit’s presence is necessary in understanding and in preaching God’s words. If we are ignorant about the Holy Spirit’s role in us and in our hearers, we shall not see results of our work; it is like water pouring on the head of a duck.
(2) The presence of the devil in human life is true, not an imagination. The Pope Benedict XVI warned us about the ignorance of the devil in our life.
(3) We can destroy the devil by letting God’s word permeate all aspects of our life.