＊＊＊ 1st Reading ＊＊＊       

1Thessalonians 5:1-6, 9-11

 You do not need anyone to write to you

About the delay and the ap­pointed time for these events. You know that the Day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night.   When people feel secure and at peace, the disaster will suddenly come upon them as the birth pangs of a woman in labor, and they will not escape.

 But you, beloved, are not in darkness; so that day will not surprise you like a thief.   All of you are citizens of the light and the day; we do not belong to night and darkness.   Let us not, therefore, sleep as others do, but remain alert and sober.

 For God has not willed us to be condemned but to win salvation through Christ Jesus our Lord.   He died for us so that we might enter into life with him, whether we are still awake or already asleep. There­fore encourage one another and build up one another, as you are doing now.

 

Ps 27:1, 4, 13-14

I believe that I shall see the good things of the Lord in the land of the living.

 

＊＊＊＊ Gospel ＊＊＊＊ 

Luke 4:31-37

 Jesus went down to Capernaum, a town of Galilee, and began teaching the people at the sabbath meetings. They were astonished at the way he taught them, for his word was spoken with authority.

 In the synagogue there was a man possessed by an evil spirit who shouted in a loud voice, “What do you want with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I recognize you: you are the Holy One of God.” 

Then Jesus said to him sharply, “Be silent and leave this man!” The evil spirit then threw the man down in front of them and came out of him without doing him harm.

 Amazement seized all these people and they said to one another, “What does this mean? He commands the evil spirits with authority and power. He orders, and you see how they come out!” And news about Je­sus spread through­out the surrounding area.

 

Gospel Reflection：

 Evil thrives where you least expect it. Take for example our gospel today. The man possessed by an evil spirit is inside the synagogue. So not all evil spirits can be stopped by something holy. They can survive even in a holy place such as a synagogue.

They can hide undetected by ordinary people but not from Jesus himself. That is why the evil spirit challenges him immediately. When the evil spirit confesses the true nature of Jesus, it may be that in revealing Jesus' identity too early, the evil spirit compromises the mission of Jesus.

It is more of an obstacle rather than a help to the fledgling movement initiated by the Lord. That is why Jesus silences the evil spirit. It is not yet time for his true nature to be revealed. Information given prematurity can do harm rather than good.