Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Mass Readings

• First Reading Deuteronomy 18:15-20
• Responsorial Psalm Psalm 95:1-2, 6-7, 7-9
• Second Reading 1 Corinthians 7:32-35
• Gospel Mark 1:21-28

Open the Mass Readings on USCCB.org →

Step Into the Story

Deuteronomy sets Moses on the plains of Moab, east of the Jordan, delivering his last speeches before Israel crosses over. He promises that God will raise up “a prophet like me” from among the people. Centuries later the hope was still alive: crowds asked John the Baptist whether he was “the Prophet.” Capernaum, where today’s Gospel takes place, was a fishing town of probably no more than 1,500 people on the north shore of the Sea of Galilee, near a trade road with a customs post to match.

1. 63 B.C.Pompey takes Jerusalem
2. 4 B.C.Antipas rules Galilee
3. 14 A.D.Tiberius becomes emperor
4. c. 20 A.D.Antipas founds Tiberias
5. This week’s scene: c. 28 A.D.Teaching with authority

Come into Capernaum on a Sabbath morning early in His ministry, in about 28 A.D. The boats lie idle on the beach; no one fishes or carries today. Walk between houses of black basalt, their stones roughly fitted, to the synagogue, built of the same dark stone. Step inside. Men sit on benches along the walls, and a scroll of the Law is unrolled and read aloud.

Then a visitor from Nazareth rises to teach. Scribes taught by stacking up the opinions of earlier teachers; this man quotes no one. Watch the faces around you sharpen with astonishment. Suddenly a man near you cries out, and the room goes still. Hold your breath with the congregation, and watch what Jesus does.

Encounter the Lord

Sit in the synagogue at Capernaum on the Sabbath. You are used to hearing teachers quote other teachers. Then Jesus speaks, and something is different. His words carry weight. Suddenly a man cries out, possessed by an unclean spirit, and Jesus silences it with a word.

The demon knows who Jesus is: “the Holy One of God.” Knowing is not enough; the demon does not love or obey. Jesus’ authority is not only in what He says but in what His word does. It frees people. The same word speaks to you in Scripture and in the Church. Psalm 95 gives the only fitting response: “If today you hear His voice, harden not your hearts.”

This week, read Mark 1 slowly, a few verses each day. Ask Jesus to speak with authority into one area of your life where you feel bound, and renounce whatever He shows you.

Know Your Faith

Signs of the Kingdom

Jesus accompanies His words with mighty works and signs, which show that the kingdom is present in Him and that He is the promised Messiah (CCC 547). His signs invite belief in Him (CCC 548).

Victory Over Evil

Jesus’ exorcisms free people from the domination of demons and anticipate His great victory over “the ruler of this world,” which is fully established by the cross (CCC 550). Throughout His public life He showed His divine sovereignty over illness, demons, death and sin (CCC 447).

The Role of the Prophet

Through the prophets God formed His people in the hope of salvation and of a new and everlasting covenant written on their hearts (CCC 64). Jesus is the prophet like Moses, who speaks the words of God.

Undivided Hearts

From apostolic times some Christians have been called to virginity for the sake of the kingdom, to cling to the Lord with an undivided heart (CCC 922). Christ is the center of every Christian life, and the bond with Him comes before every other bond (CCC 1618).