Gospel

He taught with Authority.
From the Gospel according to Mark. Mk 1:21-28.

Jesus came to Capernaum with his followers, and on the sabbath he entered the synagogue and taught. The people were astonished at his teaching, for he taught them as one having authority and not as the scribes.
In their synagogue was a man with an unclean spirit; he cried out, “What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are–the Holy One of God!” Jesus rebuked him and said, “Quiet! Come out of him!” The unclean spirit convulsed him and with a loud cry came out of him. All were amazed and asked one another, “What is this? A new teaching with authority. He commands even the unclean spirits and they obey him.” His fame spread everywhere throughout the whole region of Galilee.

The Gospel of the Lord.

Authority or Authoritarianism.

The scribes and Pharisees spread the Word of God but did not cast out unclean spirits from people. They imposed the law but did not expel evil. Christ, on the other hand, conveys the Word with authority because unclean spirits obey Him, and only God can cast out demons.

Lord, there are times when I preach Your Word in my home to my spouse, but I do it by impossing “corrections,” asserting my position of “I do it, and you don’t.” What do I discover by doing this? I do discover that I have no authority over him/her, and I fail to cast out evil from my home; rather, I strengthen that evil, causing my spouse to rebel against me or escape from listening me. Only by casting out the “unclean spirits” will I be conveying Your Word in Your name, Lord.

So, I have decided to change tactics. I will stop demanding that my spouse be more perfect than he/she is, and instead, I will make him/her feel welcomed by me, rest in me when tired, have confidence in me, and share his/her thoughts without fear of reprimand. I will be his/her friend, confidant, someone who pampers him/her, makes him/her feel valued, and shows the most mercy. I believe that is what you ask me to give, Lord. In short, I will be the one who loves him/her the most. Perhaps by behaving like a true spouse, I will effectively use the authority you have given me to help him/her and bring out the best in him/her.

Applied to married life:

Peter: Darling, I acknowledge that I’m making your life difficult with so many complaints about you. I understand perfectly that you don’t feel valued because hardly anything good comes out of my mouth when I talk about you. But I want you to know that I really value you a lot, and I want you to rest in me when you’re with me, to be relaxed with me, to feel important beside me, and to be yourself without fear of reproach. I want you to feel a part of me because I understand you. I don’t want to bury our love under a pile of reasoning and laws I impose on you. I want our love to flourish beautifully, full of color.

Mary: (Emotional) Thank you, darling. Now I feel much better. I will do the same. I will love you as you are, let you be yourself, and feel admired being you. The only thing that matters to me in life is seeing you happy. Everything else is secondary to me. If you are happy with me, I am happy. So, I won’t judge you when I see you nervous, take refuge in something, or when I see you bitter or dejected. Instead, I will calm you when you’re nervous, accompany you when you feel alone, make you happy when I see you sad, and encourage you when I see you tired. I believe that is the mission of a wife that God has entrusted to me.

Peter: Thank you, my love. I love you.

Mary: I love you.

Mother,

Sometimes, despite life’s difficulties, we make it harder for each other with so many demands and complaints. Always asking for more instead of making each other’s lives simpler, lightening each other’s burdens. God does not want us to act like the Pharisees, burdening each other with heavy loads. God wants us to love each other as He does, with tenderness, understanding, and mercy. Praise the Lord who speaks to us about love with such authority. He is the only Teacher. Amen.