I know who you are, the Holy One of God

Biblical stories such as Mark’s account of the exorcism in the temple on the Sabbath in Capernaum (Mark1:21-28 ), make me a little uncomfortable. Perhaps our need to explain what cannot be explained troubles us. And doesn’t talking about evil add to our discomfort? How in our place and time can we relate to what’s going on in this Gospel?

Yet there is something about this reading that compels us beyond the narrative. We get a sense of immediacy and a bias for action that characterizes Jesus’ behavior. He is in control and taking charge of business. They were astounded at his teaching, for he taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes. Did Jesus purposefully wait for the Sabbath to enter the synagogue to teach? If so, this act alone established his authority. And isn’t it ironic that the one who knows Jesus is the man with the unclean spirit: .

We are still in the time of the Epiphany, a time in our liturgical season that seems to suffer from benign neglect. We had Christmas and the Feast of the Epiphany but we are waiting for the fast approaching season of Lent and then, Easter. The season of the Epiphany is not a passive time at all. It is not an “ordinary” time of just waiting. Jesus wasn’t just waiting and checking off the boxes of his ministry. Jesus is on fire; he is taking on the evil of the world that-- of all places-- resides in the synagogue, a place of worship. He is shaking up a faith based on rules and proclaiming a faith based on love…he preaches on the Sabbath and heals a man possessed… all of which will incur the wrath of those who exploit religion and will someday have him executed. No, Epiphany is a time of transformation an awakening to a new way.

Now back to exorcisms and evil and how this relates to us today in the here and now. Our epiphany calls us to see something in a way we never saw before. It sets the stage for personal transformation, in which our eyes are opened to a new understanding. In Gerald May’s Dark Night of the Soul, he talks about Mystery and Freedom. We become comfortable with things we can’t explain when we are comfortable in the knowledge that we don’t have to explain them and we allow the words to speak to us for what they mean and what they say. Sometimes transformation requires that we enter a dark period, outside our comfort zones before we are able to see things in a new way. We must be rid of those demons that disrupt our journey. We must open our hearts and actively listen. Yes, demons and evil exist and we must wait to hear "Be silent, and come out of him!"