THE WORD BECAME FLESH

Tuesday in 22nd Sunday in Ordinary time, 2022

1Cor 2-10:16

Ps 145

Luke 3:31-37

Authentic or nominal Christian

Dear friends in Christ, it is only God that is All-Knowing. As humans, we share that knowledge according to the gifts we have received from God. Can anyone truly say that he knows you? Does the knowledge of the other, end with the recognition of the person?

Paul in our first reading of today (1Cor 2:10-16) tells us that the one who truly knows each one is the spirit. "The Spirit searches everything, even the depths of God. For what person knows a man’s thoughts except for the spirit of the man which is in him? So also no one comprehends the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God." The Holy Spirit searches even the depths of God and that Spirit has been given to the baptized in Christ. It is by that Spirit that we can know the will of God and follow it. Those who have the Spirit of God in them can discern spiritual truth. Paul concludes the passage by insisting, "For who has known the mind of the Lord, to instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ." Belonging to Christ is therefore a special privilege, which allows us to desire what Jesus desires and to live as he lived to share in His eternal glory.

The Gospel passage (Luke 4:31-37) presents a demoniac who fraudulently claims to know Jesus. Even though he had the right answer, he does not possess the right Spirit. The occasion presented itself in the Synagogue. Following the rejection of Jesus in Nazareth and the attempt on his life, he settled in Capernaum, which became his hometown and the center of his ministry. (Matt.9:1) On a Sabbath day, he went to the Synagogue where all those present were astonished by the authority with which he proclaimed the word. There was also a man possessed by the demon who shouted, "Ah! What have you come to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are, the Holy One of God." The demon in him recognized Jesus as the Holy One, but his knowledge claim was false. To know Jesus is to desire the good, to live as He taught us, and as He lived. We cannot rule out that, there are many people today, whose knowledge of Jesus and faith is simply ‘book knowledge’ or ‘reported knowledge,’ devoid of personal experience. Some people go, because they have been brought up to do so, and do not make the effort to truly come to the right knowledge of the faith they profess. For some such people, it becomes easy to drift from one place to another. They are the ones who do not see the difference between living an authentic Christian life and just being a Christian in their name. They are the ones who criticize those who are making efforts at living out the gospel truth. Whenever they attend church activities, they want to be where everyone can see them. They claim to know Jesus but they need to be purged of the evil that characterizes their way of living. Where exactly are you? On the day of Baptism, you rejected Satan and all his works and pomps. 

Let us pray: Lord, rid me of every form of evil. Help me to radiate your light wherever I go. Amen. 

+Remain blessed