by Father Patrick Longalong
LAST WEEK’S Scriptures described Jesus breaking the monotony of the lives of a few fishermen, elevating them to become His disciples. Today, we are given a scenario that could potentially take away the peace of people in the synagogue by the presence of a man with an unclean spirit. He is loud. He interrupts.
The possessed man draws our attention in the same way as a person who suddenly acts disruptively during Mass by loudly talking to themselves or walking around the body of the church, making people in the congregation feel uneasy with their crazed, disheveled or unbathed appearance. The man with an unclean spirit is, I suspect, for many of us, the shocking and intriguing part of today’s Gospel.
Surprisingly enough, he does not have that effect on the people in the synagogue. A majority of those who were present kept their attention closely on Jesus and His response to the situation. From the beginning of the Gospel, it was mentioned that they were “astounded by his presence and teaching.”
It’s like nothing they have ever heard before. He spoke with conviction. His words pierced the hearts of those who are willing to hear to the point that they would describe it as “a new teaching with authority.” It is like attending Mass when you hear the priest or deacon preach about something in a way that you can relate to, and identify that your heart begins to burn with that inspiration to do good or that you are worth something.
Even the man with an unclean spirit is shocked and intrigued by Jesus: “What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us?”
Jesus teaching in the synagogue gives a sense of authority that is not imposing, but inviting. Each person who listened to Him was being nourished by His Word. Jesus has that effect on people. His authority and teaching reveal the truth about His listeners’ lives in such a way that they are not embarrassed, nor feel degraded. He draws people to Himself, both the clean and unclean, to raise them to the level of dignity and value as intended in the original plan of God.
The man with an unclean spirit embodies the lives of those in the synagogue. His uncleanness is not about personal hygiene, immorality or being bad. Notice that he was already “in their synagogue” when Jesus came to teach. The presence of this man described the disease already existing in the souls of those present – their broken lives, and the many voices of false hope disguised as eloquent truths. In looking at him, they see themselves asking Jesus the same question.
Broken and Isolated
“What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth?” This question is not just about him. He also speaks for all of us in Church today, for those people who truly experienced the brokenness of life, that awful feeling of isolation, either due to grief or guilt. Sometimes it is the isolation we experience in the many masks we wear just to feel that we fit in and are accepted by our community, while deep inside we know that others truly don’t know who we really are.
The nameless man is the spokesperson for all who feel disconnected from themselves, others or God. Hidden quietly behind his question is the unspoken longing and hope that Jesus would say, “Everything. I have everything to do with you.”
We’re such funny people. Inside our hearts we long for intimacy and authenticity, but that fear of being vulnerable once someone sees us for who we truly are – and who we are not – unknowingly puts us in a bubble. We put on a good front, hoping that it will gain us approval, acceptance, love. The irony is that these facades we create, these personas, keep us from having the very things we think we will have, like intimacy, love, acceptance, healing, forgiveness and authenticity.
The false self we create offers no possibility for life to flourish and be abundant. Still, we hold onto those false voices, voices that collectively ask: “Have you come to destroy us?”
Jesus came to destroy what is false in us for the same reason St. Paul mentioned in this weekend’s second reading: “I should like you to be free of anxieties.”
While many of us see an unclean spirit being cast out, Jesus at the same time is calling forth our true selves, calling us back into the beauty and wholeness of our original creation. The Psalm response this weekend reminds us to listen to Jesus: “If today you hear His voice, harden not your hearts.”
Readings for the Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Deuteronomy 18: 15-20
Psalm 95: 1-2, 6-7, 7-9
1 Corinthians 7: 32-35
Mark 1: 21-28
Father Longalong is the pastor of Our Lady of Lourdes parish, Queens Village, and the coordinator of the diocesan Ministry to Filipino Immigrants.