Homily for Tuesday of the 22nd Week in Ordinary Time

In today’s Gospel passage, a man “with a spirit of an unclean demon” asked Jesus in a loud voice, “What have you come to do with us…? Have you come to destroy us?” Jesus neither withdraws in the face of this aggression nor does He react in kind. Instead, Jesus addressed the demon only and brought healing and peace and peace to the man.

So often, in the Gospels, Jesus does not respond in kind to those who oppose Him, but neither does He back down from them. The LORD does not relate to us as we so often relate to Him. His relating to us is always more generous, more loving, more merciful than our way of relating to Him and to one another.

When the people in the synagogue saw Jesus’ encounter with the disturbed man, they were amazed at His authority and the power He had over unclean spirits. Jesus exercises His authority by showing love and kindness to those who have no claim on it, except for their need. In that way, He shows us what genuine authority looks like

Let us pray then, today and always, that the example of Jesus may guide us in our approach one another: that we may do so in a spirit of love and mercy, and with a desire for understanding and peace. +