Here is a teaching that is new

 Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year B) 31st January 2021

Gospel Mark 1: 21–28

Jesus and his disciples went as far as Capernaum, and as soon as the sabbath came, he went to the synagogue and began to teach. And his teaching made a deep impression on them because, unlike the scribes, he taught them with authority.

In their synagogue just then there was a man possessed by an unclean spirit and it shouted, ‘What do you want with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are: the Holy One of God.’ But Jesus said sharply, ‘Be quiet! Come out of him!’ And the unclean spirit threw the man into convulsions and with a loud cry went out of him. The people were so astonished that they started asking each other what it all meant. ‘Here is a teaching that is new,’ they said, ‘and with authority behind it: he gives orders even to unclean spirits and they obey him.’ And his reputation rapidly spread everywhere, through all the surrounding Galilean countryside.

Christ the Teacher monasteryicons.com

Reflection from St Beuno's Outreach

I settle in my chosen place of prayer, and let myself become still. In the

quiet of the moment I feel God’s loving gaze and let his presence enfold me.

I read the text of the Gospel. Perhaps I can imagine myself sitting there in

the synagogue listening to Jesus.

Although I don’t have the words that Jesus uses, I notice how he speaks.

What strikes me most about Jesus here? Perhaps his conviction ... his quiet authority ... or something else?

As I look around the synagogue, what do I see reflected in the faces of those with me? How do I feel as the power of this teaching touches me?

What do I find myself thinking and feeling as the mood changes and I watch the scene unfold?

When I am ready, I look back on the scene and ponder what it means for me to acknowledge Jesus as the ‘Holy One of God’.

What difference does this make to me?

In what ways do those around me recognise the message of Jesus in the way I live my life?

I share with the Lord what is in my heart, and offer my prayer that God will continue to deepen his life in me.

Bringing my time of prayer to a close, I thank the Lord for the gift of his love, and ask that I may see him more clearly, love him more dearly and follow him more nearly, day by day.

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