Texts taken from the “On Your Word” Daily Missal January-February 2024

4th Sunday in Ordinary Time (B)
4th week, alternate psalter

FIRST READING

From the book of Deuteronomy (Dt 18:15-20)
Moses spoke to the people, saying: «The Lord, your God, will raise up for you, from among you, from among your brothers, a prophet like me. You shall listen to him. This is what you asked of the Lord, your God, at Horeb, on the day of the assembly, saying: “Let me not hear again the voice of the Lord, my God, nor see this great fire anymore, lest I die.” The Lord answered me: “What they have said is good. I will raise up for them a prophet from among their brothers and I will put my words into his mouth; he shall tell them everything I command him. Whoever does not listen to my words that he speaks in my name, I myself will hold him accountable. But the prophet who presumes to speak in my name a word that I have not commanded him to speak, or who speaks in the name of other gods, that prophet shall die.”» – The word of the Lord.

Commentary on the first reading

There is something striking about the request of the ancient people of Israel: faced with God manifesting himself on Mount Sinai amid lightning and thunderbolts, they ask not to have direct dealings with him, but for his will to be presented by one of his representatives, an ordinary man who could explain the things of God without all those deafening and dangerous phenomena. And so, God hears this request and immediately gives them a mediator of this kind: Moses. But the matter does not end there; Moses immediately announces that a far superior mediator is destined to come later, and speaks - without naming him - of Jesus. He will be the true and ultimate interpreter of God's word, because he will himself be the Word; he will be God made man; he will be the lawgiver who comes to explain the law in person. God, therefore, is both the final destination and the mediator, as Jesus will say of himself: I am the life and the truth, but I am also the way to reach them. No other prophets can exist, and if anyone came speaking words of death while passing himself off as God's mediator, he would die with his false words.

SECOND READING

From the first letter of Saint Paul the Apostle to the Corinthians (1 Cor 7:32-35)
Brothers and sisters, I would like you to be free from anxieties: an unmarried man is anxious about the things of the Lord, how he may please the Lord; but a married man is anxious about the things of the world, how he may please his wife, and he is divided! Likewise, an unmarried woman, as well as a virgin, is anxious about the things of the Lord, so that she may be holy in body and spirit; but a married woman is anxious about the things of the world, how she may please her husband. I am saying this for your benefit: not to place a restraint on you, but so that you may behave properly and remain devoted to the Lord without distraction. – The word of the Lord.

Commentary on the second reading

Here, Saint Paul seems to prefer virginity to marriage. Of the virgin, in fact, he says that she lives entirely for God, to please him alone, whereas the married woman (and the husband as well, obviously), having to please both God and their spouse, is divided because, in order to please the husband, she must also be concerned with the things of the world. How should we understand this? Objectively speaking, the state of virginity makes spiritual life easier, because it means not having to be overly concerned with the material aspects of life and being able to devote oneself to God alone; but subjectively, holiness does not depend on one's state in life, but on charity. Thus, a married woman may be far holier than a cloistered nun if she lives out complete dedication to God better than the nun does, even while immersed in family life. Indeed, one vocation can help the other: the nun will remind married people of the primacy of God, while the married woman will help the consecrated virgin overcome small inner barriers by giving her an example of a life totally given.

GOSPEL OF THE DAY

From the Gospel according to Mark (Mk 1:21-28)
When the time came, Jesus entered the synagogue on the Sabbath at [Capernaum,] 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, «Be quiet! Come out of him!» The unclean spirit convulsed him and with a loud cry came out of him. They were all 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. – The Gospel of the Lord.

Commentary on the Gospel of the day

The beginning of Jesus' public life was the eruption of an extraordinary power into time and history. He healed the sick in an instant, with a simple movement of his will; he drove out demons by the power of his word; he ruled over the winds and the seas; he spoke with authority. It is no wonder that everyone flocked to him to meet him, be healed, and learn the new things he taught. This beginning was needed to “awaken” people who were drowsy and sluggish. But along with the people, the demons also awoke; at the mere sight of him, they became agitated and cried out. Reading the Gospel, one is astonished at how many possessed people there were in Palestine at that time: almost every page produces another one! In reality, the demons did not all rush to Palestine at the time of Christ; rather, his presence revealed those who were already there. Where the light arrives, darkness declares its defeat; where Jesus is, the devil can no longer remain hidden. This is always true. The proof of the devil's existence, even today, is not exorcists, but saints: wherever there is a saint, the devil cannot withstand him; he tries to defeat him, but he cannot, and in the end he has to leave.