Word of the day

A reading from the Letter of St. Paul to the Hebrews
2:5-12

It was not to angels that God subjected the world to come,
of which we are speaking.
Instead, someone has testified somewhere:

What is man that you are mindful of him,
or the son of man that you care for him?
You made him for a little while lower than the angels;
you crowned him with glory and honor,
subjecting all things under his feet.

In “subjecting” all things to him,
he left nothing not “subject to him.”
Yet at present we do not see “all things subject to him,”
but we do see Jesus “crowned with glory and honor”
because he suffered death,
he who “for a little while” was made “lower than the angels,”
that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone.

For it was fitting that he,
for whom and through whom all things exist,
in bringing many children to glory,
should make the leader to their salvation perfect through suffering.
He who consecrates
and those who are being consecrated all have one origin.
Therefore, he is not ashamed to call them “brothers” saying:

I will proclaim your name to my brethren,
in the midst of the assembly I will praise you.

From the Gospel according to Mark
Mk 1:21-28

Jesus came to Capernaum with his followers,
and on the sabbath he entered the synagogue and taught.
The people 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 and said, “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 shows us Jesus freeing a person possessed by an “evil spirit” (cf. Mk 1:21-28), that tormented and made him scream (cf. vv. 23, 26). This is how the devil behaves: he wants to take possession of us in order to “enchain our souls”. To enchain our souls: this is what the devil wants. We must be wary of the “chains” that stifle our freedom, because the devil always takes away our freedom. Let us try to name some of these chains that can shackle our hearts.

I am thinking of addictions, which enslave us, making us feel constantly dissatisfied, devouring our energies, goods, and relationships. I am thinking of the leading trends which encourage unrealistic perfectionism, consumerism and hedonism, that commodify people and ruin relationships. And other chains: there are temptations and conditionings that undermine self-esteem, serenity and the ability to choose and love life. Another chain is fear, which makes us look to the future with pessimism; and intolerance, which always puts the blame on others. Then there is a very ugly chain: the idolatry of power, which generates conflicts and resorts to weapons that kill, or uses economic injustice and thought manipulation. There are many chains in our life.

Let us ask ourselves: Do I really want to be freed from those chains that shackle my heart? And also, am I capable of saying “no” to the temptations of evil before they plant themselves in my soul? Finally, do I invoke Jesus, allowing him to act in me, to heal me within? May the Holy Virgin guard us from evil. And Jesus came to free us from all these chains. (28 January 2024)