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“In the synagogue, there was a man with the spirit of an unclean demon” (Luke 4:33).
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The synagogue was a holy place.
Why, then, is there a man with an unclean spirit present???
Surely, he’s out of place.
Or is he?
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Perhaps he was a conflicted man, both a believer and a sinner – a man who knew he was under the power of something stronger than himself.
Maybe he went to the synagogue that day hoping to be set free.
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How many of us feel the same way?
We need Jesus to set us free from jealousy, judgmental thoughts, anger, impatience, greed, addiction, anxiety, or a residual grudge?
As someone said, “The greatest sin is thinking you have none.”
So, we find ourselves imperfect, but in a holy place hoping to be set free.
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Jesus can do it. He will do it. Sometimes the healing work of the Spirit is instant, as it is in the Gospel.
But most often it takes time.
We need patience with ourselves – and with others – while the Lord works to set us free. As Saint Paul says, “God, who has begun this good work within you, will bring it to fulfillment.”
