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“In their synagogue was a man with an unclean spirit. He cried out, ‘What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth?'” (Mark 1:23).

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The synagogue was a holy place.

Why, then, is there a man with an unclean spirit present???

He seems wildly out of place.

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Or is he?

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We shouldn’t be quick to judge.

Perhaps he was conflicted.

Both a believer and a sinner, a man in need of grace. 

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Are we any different? 

Our bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, Saint Paul says. They’re holy, much like the synagogue was.

Yet how many of us need something unclean cast out of us – jealousy, greed, lust, fear, a residual grudge?

As someone once put it, “The greatest sin is thinking you have none.”

Like that man in the Gospel, there’s likely both good and evil, love and sin, at work within us.

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May the same Lord who set this poor man free drive out from us whatever is displeasing to him, so that so that we may love and serve with ever greater freedom. 

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I’m sure many of us remember the feeling of falling in love.

At first everything about that person seemed enchanting – the way they walk, the tone of their voice, the look in their eyes. The smallest detail can give you butterflies.

You’re left feeling like you cannot live without the other person by your side.

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But eventually the reality of ordinary life sets in.

You realize that the bills must be paid, space must be shared, and they – like you – have their own priorities.

While it’s easy to fall in love, it’s much harder to remain in love.

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In the Gospel, Jesus invites Simon, Andrew, James, and John to become his disciples.

Immediately, they drop everything and follow him.

They must have been spellbound by Jesus; he spoke with authority, he performed miracles – and they were part of his inner circle.

But as their lives with him slowly merged into one, they realized just how hard it would be to say “yes” to him every day, much like a couple that’s been married for many years.

In the words of Jesus, they will have to, “Deny themselves, take up their crosses, and follow him.”

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We are all here this morning because – like the disciples – we’ve fallen in love with Jesus. 

But the butterflies are probably gone. Reality has set in.

It can be much harder to say “yes’ to Jesus today than it was yesterday, because the longer we know him, the more he wants of our heart.

So how is the Lord inviting me to follow him today?

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Maybe he’s asking me to be kind to that person who constantly gets under my skin, to be generous with my time, or to let go of a temptation that I’ve clung to.

“No one can have two masters,” says the Lord. 

Jesus wants to be number one.

Will we let him?

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This might sound a bit strange, but close your eyes and take a deep breath.

Keep your eyes closed, and exhale.

I want you to imagine you’re standing next to a river. 

You know this river has a beginning and an end, but you’re not at either place; you’re somewhere in between.

Listen to the water trickle, flowing peacefully downstream. 

If you follow the current, you’ll see a series of twists and turns in the river’s path. 

In spite of the twists, the turns, the rocks, and the brush, the river finds a way to flow forward, never stopping until it reaches its final destination. 

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If your eyes are still closed, now open them.

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Perhaps this image of a river is an appropriate image for our own lives. Like that river, we’re neither at the beginning nor the end; we’re all somewhere in between. 

And in spite of the many obstacles we face – the twists, the turns, the rocks, the brush – we, too, must find a way forward.

The question is, “Where do we draw our strength from in life? Do we rely only upon ourselves, a trusted friend, or when we need it most, do we rely upon God?”

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In the Gospel, Jesus has reached one of the most important turns in the river of his life. 

Ninety percent of his life has already been written, spent quietly in Nazareth. But now everything changes. 

Jesus’ baptism marks the beginning of his public ministry. After performing a miracle or two, he’ll become a type of celebrity, having to wrestle with all the temptations that come along with that.

In order to successfully navigate the remaining twists and turns of his life, Jesus knows he must turn to his heavenly Father.

And so immediately after his baptism, he retreats into the desert for 40 days and 40 nights, preparing for the days ahead.

We will continue to find Jesus in prayer until the very end of his life; even for the Son of God, prayer was a daily need.

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Herein lies the lesson for us: If Jesus prayed throughout the river of his life, then how much more do we need to? 

And what do we risk if we don’t?

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Too often prayer can be written off as something that only priests or nuns do. But Jesus says in the Gospel of John, “I have given all of you an example to follow.”

For example, when grief strikes, we must pray. When we question our future, we must pray. When a door opens or a door closes, we must pray. 

But only reaching out to God when we need something reminds me of a fair-weather friend, someone who only comes around when they want something.

That’s not the life of a disciple. We should follow the example of Jesus and pray daily, instead.

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So what is our prayer life like? 

Is it strong and deep like a river, shallower like a stream, or even dried up like a creek in the sun? 

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It’s not too late to make a New Year’s resolution: to spend more time with God.

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What that looks like will be different for each of us.

For example, I try spending an hour in prayer every morning.

I’ll light a candle, put on soft music, pray the Psalms, and read something about our faith. At the moment I’m reading, The Priest is Not His Own, by Fulton Sheen.

Maybe you do something similar: you pray the rosary after Mass, read the bible at home, or study the lives of the Saints.

Or maybe you just take five to ten minutes at the beginning or end of your day to share your heart with the Lord.

That’s all prayer is: communicating with our Father.

The result of it should always be the same. Prayer softens our heart towards God and his will for our lives.

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We’ve now reached 2020, another bend in the river of our lives. Though we don’t know what lies ahead, we do know that God is willing to guide us if we allow him.  

Much easier said than done, I know. Few people enjoy sitting in the passenger seat.

Perhaps it’s appropriate, then, to end with a prayer. Take another deep breath and close your eyes once again:

Heavenly Father, we come before you this morning seeking your strength, guidance, and peace in 2020. Soften our hearts to your will. Guide us through the many twists and turns ahead just as you guided your Son, so that one day we may join you and all who’ve flowed before us into your kingdom, where you live and reign forever and ever. Amen.