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| “Jesus Casts out Unclean Spirit” by Gustave Doré, 1865 |
Commentary:
Reading 1: Sirach 1:1-10
Commentary on Sir 1:1-10
This passage begins the Book of Sirach. Written in about 175 B.C., this sacred text’s author, the son of Sirach, writes extensively about the Law of Moses and the people's relationship to it. It is not considered to be part of the Jewish Bible after the first century, and is not contained in the Protestant canon either. The church has always considered it sacred, and it has been included in the Catholic canon since it was first established.
In these opening verses, the author explains that the wisdom of God is poured out on all God’s creation through the Holy Spirit. Wisdom, the author notes, can come only from God, and there is, of course, only one God. The wisdom spoken of here is God’s external revelation of himself, present in all his creation.
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Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 93:1ab, 1cd-2, 5
R. (1a) The Lord is king; he is robed in majesty.
Commentary on Ps 93:1ab, 1cd-2, 5
Psalm 93 is a hymn of praise commemorating Yahweh as king. The external revelation of God mentioned in Sirach 1:1-10 is celebrated in this song of praise. The image of God’s throne on high, repeated here, reinforces God’s omnipotence.
“'The Lord is king': literally, 'the Lord reigns.' This psalm, and Psalms 47; 96-99, are sometimes called enthronement psalms. They may have been used in a special liturgy during which God's ascent to the throne was ritually reenacted. They have also been interpreted eschatologically, pointing to the coming of God as king at the end-time.” [4]
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Gospel: Mark 9:14-29
Commentary on Mk 9:14-29
In this selection from St. Mark’s Gospel, the Lord encounters a “situation.” When he comes down from the mountain where Peter, James, and John had just witnessed the transfiguration of the Lord, he discovers the rest of the disciples being challenged by scribes and Pharisees because they cannot cast out a “mute spirit.”
Jesus’ reaction seems a bit exasperated. He remarks on the faithlessness of the crowd (including the scribes and Pharisees) and proceeds to cure the boy. He then explains to the disciples (possibly chastising them as well) that in such cases, cure can only be effected through prayer. In some texts “fasting” is added to this account.
CCC: Mk 9:9-31 649; Mk 9:23 1504, 2610; Mk 9:24 162
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Reflection:
The Gospel tells a story of what happens when people try to do something without enlisting God’s help. The son of Sirach explains in the first reading that all wisdom (and grace) comes from God, and resides in God in fullness. When the disciples, who were not with Jesus as he was being transfigured and revealed to Peter, James, and John, are confronted with a request to cure a possessed boy, they fail. Recall, Jesus already “gave them authority over unclean spirits,” and sent them out with successful results (cf. Mark 6:7-13). They fully expected to be able to cure the boy. When they failed, it reflected poorly on their teacher, Jesus.
When Jesus returns and finds them embroiled in an argument with the people (including the scribes and Pharisees), he recognizes the situation at once. First, the people who came with the boy did not have faith that the boy could be cured (by God), and second, his disciples, under pressure, had failed to ask God for assistance, and tried to accomplish the task by human will alone.
In the Gospel Jesus rebukes both groups and the crowd with: "O faithless generation, how long will I be with you?” And later, privately, he rebukes the disciples with what must have been for them a pretty scathing testimony from their teacher: "This kind can only come out through prayer." The implication was they had not been praying, they had forgotten that grace and wisdom from God must flow through them if good is to be accomplished.
That same lesson is the one we walk away with today. It is one about which we need to be constantly reminded. We are not asked to perform miracles on a daily basis. But we are confronted and challenged to proclaim the Good News. When we try to do this on our own, forgetting that it is only through Christ Jesus who left us the Holy Spirit that this can be accomplished, we fall into the same trap as the disciples who forgot to pray.
This then is our challenge for today. That we be a people of prayer, constantly asking God for aid, and glorifying his name though our actions. May all we do this day be a song of praise to him.
Pax
[1] The picture is “Jesus Casts out Unclean Spirit” by Gustave Doré, 1865.
[4] See NAB footnote on Psalm 93.
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