4th Sunday in Ordinary Time (A)
Liturgy of the Hours, 4th week

Today we enter the synagogue in Capernaum with Jesus: here he teaches with authority and reveals his power over the forces of evil, soon arousing the astonishment of those present. Jesus immerses himself in the wounds of humanity and brings healing and liberation. Let us ask Jesus, the one Master of wisdom and liberator from evil, for the gift of knowing how to listen to his Word, which nourishes life and makes it flourish.

Texts taken from the missal “On Your Word” January-February 2021.

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 exactly what you requested of the Lord, your God, at Horeb on the day of the assembly, saying: “Do not let me hear again the voice of the Lord, my God, nor see this great fire anymore, lest I die.” The Lord replied to me: “They have spoken well. I will raise up a prophet for them from among their brothers and 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 any 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

«I will raise up a prophet for them from among their brothers and will put my words into his mouth; he shall tell them everything I command him.» Today’s first reading outlines the figure of a true and authentic prophet. For centuries, the people of Israel experienced the contrast between true prophets, those who spoke and acted in God’s name, even at the cost of misunderstanding and persecution, and false ones: those who uttered softened words and judgments because of their compromise with power and were dominated by fear of rebellion from the people. In short, they were guided only by personal interests. The book of Deuteronomy is actually calling for the coming of Jesus Christ. No one else can fully and perfectly correspond to the title of prophet. A prophet is not someone who predicts events (a kind of magician or something similar), but one who is given the power and authority (as we see in today’s Gospel) to speak and act in the name of the good Father. More precisely, the prophet announces the goodness that is God’s characteristic: he knows how to see and heal wounds and is capable of rejoicing at the appropriate times.

SECOND READING

From the first letter of Saint Paul the Apostle to the Corinthians (1 Cor 7:32-35)
Brothers and sisters, I should 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. An unmarried woman, or 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 own benefit, not to place a restraint upon you, but so that you may behave properly and remain faithful to the Lord without distraction. – The Word of the Lord.

Commentary on the second reading

«Brothers and sisters, I should like you to be free from anxieties.» Paul’s desire and exhortation to the Corinthians must be properly understood. The Apostle’s wish is that everyone, in every situation and condition of life, may love, praise, and bless the Lord for the great things he accomplishes in our personal and communal stories. Let us therefore try to reflect on his words and apply them to our own times. It would be a serious mistake to choose consecrated life or the priesthood as an escape or as an expression of fear regarding the choice of married life. It would also be wrong for a consecrated person or a priest to say: «I am better because I have made this choice of consecration.» Yet Saint Paul also confronts us with the opposite, unfortunately very common, error. Some say: «I have a family whom I try to love, I make sure they lack nothing, I work myself to the bone to make ends meet. How can I have the energy to think about the Lord Jesus too?» Sometimes it would be truly useful to write down our priorities: what place do we give the Lord? We should always remember and seek to make our own the exhortation with which Saint Paul closes his letter: in every condition of life, what matters is to behave properly and remain faithful to the Lord.

GOSPEL OF THE DAY

From the Gospel according to Mark (Mk 1:21-28)
In those days, Jesus entered the synagogue on the Sabbath [in Capernaum] and taught. They 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, saying, «Be 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. – The Gospel of the Lord.

Commentary on the Gospel of the day

«They were astonished at his teaching, for he taught them as one having authority and not as the scribes.» Jesus has true authority; he is the one who not only permits but gives the strength for genuine growth in faith, hope, and charity. This truth astonishes people, perhaps accustomed to many charlatans or even people of good will who do not know how to appreciate the meaning of their own existence or that of others. We are all astonished and feel the need to discover the ways of Jesus’ authority. In reality, there is a great difference between authority (loving in a way that helps others grow), authoritarianism (raising one’s voice and hands because one is unable to offer convincing explanations), and, finally, permissiveness: in the latter case, everything is allowed to pass, from what is good to what is evil, simply because it seems more convenient. Authoritarianism and permissiveness cannot be the foundations of true education; they help no one, least of all children (especially adolescents) or those entrusted to us in any way: students, employees, children in the parish youth group or parishioners… Therefore, we too need to pause for a moment and rediscover the meaning of true authority, which is capable of guiding, teaching, and helping others grow.