Thursday of the Second week in Ordinary Time

Lectionary: 314

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And whenever unclean spirits saw him they would fall down before him and shout, “You are the Son of God.”
He warned them sternly not to make him known.

A major theme of Saint Mark’s gospel is the mystery of Jesus’ identity. The crowds, the Pharisees and scribes, and Jesus’ disciples will wonder, “Who is this guy?” Jesus will ask his disciples, “Who do people say I am?”

The hearers of the Gospel, that is those who hear it proclaimed in their assemblies, know from the get-go. They would not be there in church if they didn’t. They are baptized and confirmed and celebrate the Eucharist weekly. The Evangelist makes no secret of it to them; the title of this book is found in its first verse, “…the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.”

The Church will reflect on this statement and eventually develop extremely sophisticated formulas that help us ponder the mystery. But it remains mysterious.

In this early passage of the Gospel the demons correctly identify Jesus but they cannot know him. Or, at best, they only know his authority as his spoken word compels them out of possessed victims. They do not know his tender mercy.

Only the obedient, loving heart can know Jesus. That heart speaks to the mind but the mind can only use words to make sense of what it hears. It says words like “God” and “Son of God.”

People who insist that the mind should govern the heart and understand everything the heart knows take their stand far from Jesus. They let the heart cool its ardor until it's exhausted and cold. They remain suspicious of anything that smacks of freedom or generosity. They want control.

The Christian obeys the heart. She trusts the revealed mystery and bends the knee upon hearing Jesus Christ, the Son of God.