Reflection
What role does Jesus have in your daily life? Is He inactive, a threat to your personal power, or is His Holy Spirit within you, leading you in all things? So far this week, through the words and actions of Jesus, our Gospel readings have displayed all three roles based on the reactions of those who encountered Him.
On Monday, Jesus and His power was rendered inactive in his own town because people refused to believe that He was the Messiah. They rejected Jesus and wanted to remove Him from their life. Jesus wasn’t the type of “Messiah” they wanted. Why do people today, after being taught about Jesus and the power of His Holy Spirit, ultimately reject Him, and follow their own path? Is it because He challenges their personal power, and doesn’t fit the lifestyle they desire and seek?
In yesterday’s Gospel, Jesus astonished the people with His teaching. They weren’t sure what to make of Jesus or how He could help them in their daily life. But the demons recognized Jesus as “the Holy One of God!” They were fearful that Jesus would cast them out of the person they inhabited. Thus, they would lose control of that person. The power of Satan, our natural tendency toward sin, is the demon we all have inside us. When we allow Satan to control our thoughts and desires, we see Jesus and the power of His Holy Spirit as a threat to us. But in fact, we have already given up control of our life to the Evil One. The Evil One, who can only lead us to sin and death, is why we need Jesus in the first place!
Lastly, in today’s Gospel, after Jesus left the synagogue and healed Simon’s mother-in-law, all the people who were sick or afflicted with demons were brought to Jesus to be healed. These people and their caregivers knew Jesus could do for them what they could not do for themselves - be healed! Believing and trusting in Jesus, they did not want Him to leave. They did not yet know about the Holy Spirit, Christ’s eternal presence within each person who believes in Him.
We are all in need of healing in some way. Whether or not we have any physical, mental, or emotional ailments, we are all afflicted by the tendency toward sin. We must realize that the power of Satan is a real demon within us. We cannot overcome sin on our own. Only the daily presence of Jesus in our life can cast out Satan and all the demons within us. Jesus isn’t a threat to our personal power; He IS THE POWER that can save us from Evil and give us true happiness. When we believe this and trust in Jesus’ power, our lives will be healed, and joy will fill us today and every day.
Let’s not reject Jesus and His Power. He is not a threat to us. He truly loves us and can heal us. Let’s put our faith and trust in Him.
Today’s Question for Prayer and Reflection
How do you react to Jesus’ words and His power to heal you?