“What is this? A new teaching with authority. He commands even the unclean spirits and they obey him” (Mark 1:27).
As we begin “Ordinary Time” this week we also begin to read the Gospel of Mark. We are already a part of this Gospel: we are the people who are astonished at Jesus’ teaching and we are the disciples who love to bask in the glory of His power but are scandalized when Jesus talks about His way of humility and suffering.
We are invited to journey along with the disciples. As we journey along as disciples, we bring our worries and anxieties to Jesus as we continue to face the Coronavirus. We bring our horror to Jesus as we see the pictures of hatred and violence and the demonic signs of racism and antisemitism as people attack our Capital.
As in today’s Gospel Jesus rebukes this demonic hatred and racism as He calls us to follow His way of peace and reconciliation: “The kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel” (Mark 1:15).
In our moments of despair let us recall the words of Mark’s Gospel: “What is this? A new teaching with authority. He commands even the clean spirits and they obey him.”