“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.”
Did you hear about the rock climber who attempted to scale a large mountain?
About halfway up, he slips and nearly falls to his death. Somehow, he manages to catch himself, but is left dangling by his right hand.
Stunned, he cries out, “Help! Is anybody there?”
Silence. He cries a second and a third time. Finally, a voice whispers in his ear, “I am God. I’m here to help you. Though you can’t see it, there’s a ledge just beneath you. Let go and you’ll land safely.”
The climber pauses…thinks…and cries out, “Is anybody else there???”
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The climber asked for an answer…and he got one! It’s just not the response he wanted.
How often does that happen to us? We pray for something – and God responds – just not the way we want.
This was also true for the Jews in the Gospel. Their faith was centered around the promise that one day God would visit them. And he does!
But instead of appearing in a fiery blaze of glory, God comes to them in Jesus, a humble carpenter from Nazareth. Not exactly the response they wanted.
Is anybody else there??
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How often do we say something similar? Is there anybody else there?
Maybe God closes a door we wanted open; he inspires us to take the road less traveled; he chooses not to heal our loved one; he urges us to take a faith-centered risk.
These answers, although not what we may want, somehow work for our benefit.
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Think of that rock climber left dangling from a cliff.
Instead of crying out, “Is anybody else there?”, he can let go and let God. He’ll be relieved if he does!
So will we be, if we let go and let God. So, if you find yourself dangling from a cliff, perhaps it’d help to recite that old prayer for surrender:
“God, grant me the grace to accept the things I cannot change; the courage to change the things I can; and the wisdom to know the difference.”
Perhaps one of the more popular side effects of quarantine under COVID has been a dramatic increase in time spent watching television.
Netflix stock has skyrocketed 22% this year alone.
I’m one of the reasons why.
For example, I just completed the popular series, Breaking Bad. Although it came out several years ago, I’ve finally found the time to watch it.
(SPOILER ALERT: If you’ve not seen the show, but plan on doing so, you may want to stop reading here.)
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Breaking Bad is about a meek high school chemistry teacher, Walter White, who transforms into a ruthless drug dealer.
After being diagnosed with terminal cancer, he’s determined to find a way to pay for his treatment, and to provide for his family.
What may have started with a good desire – to provide for his family – quickly developed into a savage quest for money and power as he accumulates millions of dollars through cooking, then selling, crystal meth.
Walt’s pursuit of riches causes him to lose the richness of life – his home, his family, and his soul.
In the end, he dies in a self-designed shoot out, killing rival drug dealers and himself in the process.
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“What does it profit a man to gain the whole world,” Jesus says, “but lose his soul?”
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This Gospel isn’t simply a rebuke of Walter White. It’s a caution to us all.
How many hardworking parents, for example, devote their entire lives to their careers?
What may start as a desire to provide nice things for their family, ends up distancing them from the very people they love, because their career – not their family – slowly creeps onto center stage.
Work can lead us to neglect our health, our family, our faith, and our need for rest. This is partly the reason why the divorce rate in our country is near 50%.
Too much time at work means less time at home, less time together, less time communicating.
What does it profit a person to gain a promotion, but lose their family in the process?
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Something similar can happen to priests. We can get so absorbed in ministry that we burn out.
While it’s wonderful being active – praying at the bedside of the sick, providing counseling, celebrating the Sacraments, preaching the Gospel, and so on – we can prioritize our ministry over our own private prayer life, to the point we become desolate.
What would it profit a priest to have an active ministry, but burn out in the end?
In reality, we all need a balanced spiritual life, which consists of both public and private prayer.
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Even Jesus was forced to choose what mattered most – the things of heaven or the things of earth.
In the Gospel, for example, he’s being pressured by his disciples to build an earthly kingdom. They’ve seen him perform miracles; they know how powerful he is.
And they want to profit from it.
Why not conquer Rome and make Jesus king? Jesus and his disciples could have endless access to money, power, and fame.
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But Jesus rejects the notion outright, revealing to his disciples that he’s going to Jerusalem not to be crowned an earthy king, but to be crucified, instead.
“God forbid, Lord!” Peter says. “No such thing shall ever happen to you.”
Peter’s breaking bad.
He’s revealing his hidden thirst for power. But Jesus shatters his hopes with the strongest rebuke ever in the Gospels, “Get behind me, Satan!”
Peter will not stop Jesus, who prefers the will of his heavenly Father to the lure of worldly riches, even if that means embracing his cross.
Again, “What does it profit a man to gain the whole world, but to lose his soul?” The things of heaven must come before the things of earth.
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It’s a life-long lesson.
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Whether we’re overly ambitious like Peter, or slowly breaking bad like Walter White, it never pays off to choose work over family, success over faithfulness, earth over heaven.
But we’re tempted to, nonetheless.
Does my life feel out of balance? Has money, my career, or another worldly desire taken center stage?
If so, how is the Lord inviting me to change?
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“Seek first the kingdom of God,” Jesus says, “then everything else will be given you besides.”
Take a look at the list below. Who or what comes first?
