The Lord our teacher

Gospel
Mk 1:21-28

Then they came to Capernaum,
and on the sabbath Jesus 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.

Daily Reflections

Sunday 1 February

Mark 1:21-28

St Mark’s narrative packs a powerful punch! In even a few brief verses we discover a wealth of rich treasure about Jesus. The skill is to extract the kernel, the very essence, and draw upon it as fuel for prayer and meditation. Today we will examine and explore the authority of Jesus.
Jesus took advantage of a custom that allowed visiting teachers to participate in synagogue worship on the invitation of the rabbi or ruling council. We shall see in St Paul’s ministry that he did the same (Acts 13:15; 14:1). St Mark records for us that many times during his ministry Jesus’ teaching was received with awe and amazement (see 2:12; 5:20, 42; 7:37). What struck his hearers particularly was the innate and natural authority which he possessed. He had no need to quote human authority or to seek to impress with his credentials or his pedigree.
Jesus taught with God’s authority. We cannot know what subject Jesus was teaching about on this occasion. We do know, however, that the people recognized his teaching as new and original, exclaiming, ‘What is this? A new teaching – and with authority!’
(v. 27 NIV).
The Holy Spirit is the One who keeps Jesus’ teaching always fresh, always original and always new in our minds and hearts. We encounter Jesus’ teaching in two distinct ways. First and foremost we hear the Scriptures being proclaimed at church or we read and meditate upon them for ourselves in the privacy of our own homes. The second way is through the teaching authority of the Catholic Church handed down through the ages from the apostles to the bishops.
When the Pope teaches, he teaches with Christ’s authority in a special way. When we read, study and pray on the formal teaching documents of the Church, or set out to become more familiar with the teaching contained within the Catechism of the Catholic Church, or reflect on the teaching of the Second Vatican Council, we are sitting at the feet of Christ himself.
‘Heavenly Father, the teaching of your Son Jesus is always new and always fresh. Teach me to avail myself of the treasures and riches contained within the Scriptures and the teaching authority of the Church and, like the psalmist, to hide them in my heart so that I might not sin against you (Ps. 119:11).’

Deuteronomy 18:15-20 • Psalm 94(95):1-2, 6-
1 Corinthians 7:32-35 • Mark 1:21-28