With the "measured pace" of Ordinary Time both readings for today's Eucharistic Liturgy help us see how Jesus came for all to remove "evil spirits," the powerful "demons" that weighed heavily upon so many of his contemporaries.
You and I make look at the bad things that happen each day and see them as the result of human ill evil. Think what these burdens might be. Notice! The word "burdens" rather than "evil spirits" or "demons." We seem, as mentioned yesterday, to have lost a consciousness of what these realities are in our lives today. Perhaps this is a cultural removal of God from so much of what we do.
An interesting Op Ed article by Michael Gerson in today's Washington Post offers a thought or two about this theme.
The events in the Gospel reading remind us, yes, once again, that this Jesus we profess to follow is ever-present for us. There is a genuine truth that we might recall: if we do not name experiences that harm our spiritual lives, how can we ever fully understand the effective graces Jesus brings to us even today. Listen or read the final words of St. Paul in today's first reading, a part of the Letter to the Hebrews: Because he himself was tested through what he suffered, he is able to help those who are being tested.
The more we read and reflect on the changes put before Jesus during his life and how he confronted them, the more will we come to an ever present awareness that God does not abandon us to the evil spirits in our world, in our own lives. Reflection on these scriptural moments of Ordinary Time regularly, we strengthen our belief that Jesus who came among human kind once years ago, will always be present to us. He is present in the struggles you and I face each day, the moments of depression, the experiences of frustration, the discouragement that levels our resolutions, the sorrows that challenge our faith, and the different kinds of allurements that lead us to opt for sinful words or actions. His support for our mission during this Ordinary Time we cannot forget: "... he is able to help those who are being tested." Recall today's Gospel events: Jesus came to heal the ailing mother of his new colleagues, Simon and Andrew, as well as others brought to him in their illnesses, their burdens. He will help you if you come to know him well. That is a promise!
