In this section you can find a daily commentary on the Gospel of the Day.

Tuesday 11 January 2022

First Week in Ordinary Time

Word for today
Gospel of Mark 1:21b-28

Word that does not speak

Jesus does not teach with a Word that speaks, but with a Word that saves, heals, recreates, casts out the evil and silence the demons and, moreover, reveals the plans of God the Father for humanity. His Word astounds men and annoys   demons. Through the words of the possessed man, Satan reveals what Jesus came to do on earth, reveals his divine and cosmic task. The text says: Have you come to destroy us?. The verb apolyo means "I destroy by freeing, loosing." Jesus's Word does not speak, but completely regenerates, restores harmony, health and peace, and in doing this, it is so powerful as to destry the evil, loose man from any evil.
It is always the voice of the possessed that lets people witness a surprising and unexpected profession of faith:
I know who you are - the Holy One of God! This is the first profession of faith in the gospel, and it is uttered by  a demon. As if the devil should say, I know, instead others do not. The verb used here is òida, the verb of knowledge, of knowing reality from within, from the inside, to of knowing from direct observation; òida originates from orào, "I see." When Jesus cries out, Quiet! Come out of him!, the gospel uses two special verbs: fymòo, "I put a muzzle, I make it be quiet" - so here it could be translated as put on the muzzle - and exèrchomai, "I go out," formed by the preposition èx "away, out "combined with the verb èrchomai," I go, I enter, I set out ". It is not just to go out and leave, it also means to  lose one's leadership, power, to no longer have authority. These two verbs emphasize that the sound of the Word has the power to put a muzzle on the empty, poisonous, deceptive words of Satan as well as to cast out Satan from the heart and mind of man, to chase him away as completely discredited, completely conquered and emptied of his power. Jesus' Word does not speak, instead it acts, reveals, heals, enlightens and brings to effect immediately, completely and perfectly.
No one will ever be able to out a muzzle on, nor will be able to dicrease the authority, grace and power to such a Word, because it is the Word that does not speak but says all, reveals all, creates all and leads to love and beauty.