Dt 18:15-20
Ps 95
1 Cor 7:32-35
Mk 1:21-28
"A prophet like me will the Lord, your God, raise up for you from among your own kin; to him you shall listen."
The first reading from chapter 18 of Deuteronomy establishes the role of the prophet and foretells Jesus coming. Christianity came to understand these verses as promising a single prophet to come at the end of time, a Messiah, the Messiah, Our Lord Jesus, And so, in John’s gospel, we hear Philip say to Nathaniel "We have found him of whom Moses spoke in the law, Jesus of Nazareth . . . " Acts of the Apostles quotes this passage from Deuteronomy
directly in referring to Jesus. It is an important reading.
The first reading ends with God giving two harsh warnings:
The first warning is to the people: Whoever will not listen to my word which the prophet speaks in my name will answer to Me for it
The second warning is to the prophet himself: If a prophet presumes to speak in my name a prophecy that I have not commanded him to speak, or speaks in the name of other gods, he shall die.
The psalm is the 95th of the 150 psalms that comprise the Church’s prayer book.
It is recited daily as invitatory psalm that begins the liturgy of the hours. It reminds us of the proper disposition for prayer:
"Come let us sing joyfully to the Lord . . . "
"He is our God, and we are his people the flock he shepherds, . . ."
"Harden not your hearts."
The short second reading is fascinating. It frequently arises in discussions of vowed chastity for men and women who belong to religious orders or congregations as well as discussions of celibacy for secular priests.
A person is more available for the things of God if not also preoccupied with concerns for a family and all that goes with being a husband or wife
as well as a parent. The vocation to vowed chastity is no more or less honorable than the vocation to marriage and family life. But, the two are different in their demands, graces, opportunities, and challenges. The two states of life are not interchangeable. Paul is not suggesting that vowed chastity or celibacy is a superior state; far from it. However, he is pointing out the differences between the two states of life.
The last verse is significant. There is clearly no question of trying to deceive anyone by encouraging or forcing him or her to enter into a way of life for which he or she is unsuited, or by which he or she is repelled, because it is misperceived as better. This is true not only for the life of the spirit but also for the life of the mind. Entering a profession because one is being forced to by the expectations of one's parents or friends or because the person sees it as prestigious or high-income is always a bad idea that may result in profound unhappiness for the one acting against his or her will. Indeed, it may be disastrous.
Because the Gospel of Mark will be proclaimed throughout the entire liturgical year, we are going to hear the words, amazed, astonished, astounded,
frightened, awed, and other synonyms around 35 times. Astonishment is the frequent reaction to Jesus teaching in Mark. Part of the astonishment was driven by the sense that He was teaching with authority rather than in the manner of the scribes. This particular Gospel from the first chapter of Mark describes the beginning of Jesus public ministry. It is difficult to know exactly what Mark meant
when he describes that Jesus taught "not as the scribes." But, this marks the beginning of the scribes opposition to Him.
The scribes were not necessarily a single group. Rather they fulfilled multiple functions, mostly in government and in the synagogue as teachers, interpreters of scripture, and even as lawyers. They quickly became enemies of Jesus.
One commentator notes that the scribes' opposition to Jesus was far greater and more dangerous than that of the Pharisees. It was the Jerusalem scribes,
along with the elders and high priests who were the chief instigators of Jesus trial.
What exactly did the people recognize in Jesus' teaching that was absent from the teaching of the scribes? Part of it was in what Jesus said and how He said it.
I suspect one of the things was that Jesus did not use euphemisms to cover up reality, particularly the reality of sin. He called sin for what it was, a violation of God’s law but not necessarily the laws established by man.
Confucius lived and died 500 years before Jesus. One of his well-known sayings is: “The beginning of wisdom is to call things by their proper name.” Jesus did that. He called sin for what it was. Euphemisms for sin for sin are much too common today as are redefinitions of what is or is not sin. Some of some of the vocabulary in use today seems to be an attempt to deny that sin even exists. But physician assisted suicide or the mutilation of gender-affirming therapy, is not less a sin and sinful, because of the antiseptic-sounding descriptions. That Jesus called things things by their right name is one of the factors that drove the scribes to seek his death.
After Jesus cast out the unclean spirit we hear again that all were amazed. What is this? What is going on? Who is this man? He even has authority over unclean spirits? One can imagine how quickly the word spread throughout the region.
Jesus taught with authority. He cast out evil spirits with authority. That same teaching, that same authority guides us today, if we allow it to rather than, like the false prophet of the first reading, saying something along the lines of “But that isn’t what Jesus meant.”
We can only respond to Jesus
by following the instruction of the psalmist:
“Sing joyfully to the Lord”
“Bow down in worship”
"Harden not your hearts."
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Monte Lussari or sv. Višarje, is a place of pilgrimage in the Italian Alps very close to the borders with both Austria and Slovenia. The summit on which stands the church is accessible only via ski lift-cable car. Spent ten days there one summer doing some work with kiddos who were learning English. I was the only native speaker there. The photo opportunities were such that the camera never left my should except when concelebrating Mass. I'm not much of a seashore or beach guy. Give me the mountains.
Pilgrims at Mass. Daily Masses were celebrated in Italian, German, and Slovenian, the language switching throughout. The retired bishop with whom I concelebrated paced the language switches so that when my part came it was in Slovenian. With practice I could have made a reasonable attempt at Italian but German is well-beyond my ability. 
The pilgrims' luggage jammed into the back of the church. 
Potica (pronounced po teet sa) a Slovenian version of nut roll that is baked in a bread pan rather than the free-form pointed oblong I grew up with (the Polish version I assume). Potica is glorious. As it nut roll. 
There was a bicycle race happening. I don't think there were ten feet of level ground on Višarje. Great vantage points for photography. 
The summit with the cross surveying everything.
Fr. Jack, SJ, MD
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