Don't Worry

Then they came to Capernaum,                                                                

and on the Sabbath, Jesus entered the synagogue and taught.
The people were astonished at his teaching,
for he taught them as one having authority and not as the scribes. In their synagogue was a man with an unclean spirit;
he cried out, "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,
"Quiet! Come out of him!"
The unclean spirit convulsed him and with a loud cry came out of him.All were amazed and asked one another, "What is this? A new teaching with authority.
He commands even the unclean spirits and they obey him." His fame spread everywhere throughout the whole region of Galilee.

You know, we had this reading, Mark 1: 21 -28 not too long ago.  I remember that I wrote about how Jesus taught with authority and did not just discuss the words of other learned rabbis of the time. This is what made the people listen to Jesus. They knew this man, He, as a boy, had played in their streets and worked as a carpenter with His father, the late Joseph.  So they were amazed that he spoke as if inspired, and of course, as we know, He was! 

But let's backtrack a bit here.  Yesterday had Jesus in the boat going from one side of the lake to the other, a distance of some eight miles at the place where he left. They got to the point of no return, halfway so it was just as far to go on as it was to go back. A storm came up and these hearty men of the sea melted like yesterdays jello.  Remember how the apostles ran to and fro and worked up a sweat bailing the boat?  Then they woke up Jesus.  He yawned and stretched and probably gave them a look of disappointment as He told the storm to stop. He shook his head and asked why they had so little faith.  

What we saw in this passage was Christ showing He was in control of the forces of nature, they obeyed His commands.  So is it a coincidence that the Church chooses this passage of Mark to follow to show that Jesus controlled even the unclean spirits who had to obey Him.  These were signs and wonders that no other so-called messiah had ever been able to do.  These signs and wonders were proof of his mission and proof that He was the Son of Man. 

Our God is an awesome God.  He set everything in motion, authored the laws of the universe, and when He came to earth to save us from our sins, He showed how he was in control.  We are very fortunate. We know the end of the story, it has already been written and yes, the good guys win. Those unclean spirits were pretty talkative at the start of this passage, telling all within the range of their voice who this Jesus actually was.  Yet not a word came out of them once Jesus rebuked them, told them to be quiet, and told them to hit the road.  They convulsed the patient to be sure, but they said nothing more and the left the poor man. 

What I would suggest as we get ready for another week of craziness, that we take to heart this lesson.  Jesus is in control and He will not eventually win, He already has.  Nothing on earth can ever, without your consent, pluck you out of Jesus' hand.  Be brave, be as joyful as you can, look at life in a positive manner secure always in God's love and the victory against sin and death that Jesus has already won. 

Prayer for the Holy Souls in Purgatory by St. Gertrude the Great

According to tradition, St. Gertrude the Great was told by Our Lord that the following prayer, each time she piously recited it, would release 1,000 souls (or a vast number) from their suffering in purgatory:

“Eternal Father,
I offer You the most precious blood
of thy Divine Son, Jesus,
in union with the Masses said
throughout the world today,
for all the Holy Souls in Purgatory,
for sinners everywhere,
for sinners in the universal Church,
for those in my own home,
and in my family. Amen.”