The quiet proclamation and the subtle sign
of God are evident to us in the texts today from the Roman Catholic Lectionary. Hanna who will become the mother of Samuel,
who she “asked of God” prays silently and intently and leaves the sanctuary
with a renewed joy and peace. Later as she becomes pregnant after many barren
years she proclaims the exaltation of her heart and strength in the Lord. The Lord God has reversed the pattern of
domination of the strong and wealthy with glory for the poor and weak. FriarJude Winkler comments on the sign of dedication to the Lord which is expressed
in the Hebrew and New Testament by attention to hair. The Gospel from Mark, according
to Don Schwager, contains a sense of urgency about the Good News being proclaimed
mainly in the actions of Jesus. The text, quoted by Schwager, today uses the
word immediately twice. The immediate appearance, in this account from Mark, of
a man with an evil spirit in the Synagogue at Capernaum, Peter’s home town, is
an expression of how the temptations to move away from the Good News are not
far from our attention. The crowd recognizes that Jesus is One who speaks with
authority. He demonstrates the authority of God as He silences the evil spirit.
Friar Jude reminds us of the Messianic Secret which is presented in this
Gospel. Jesus is the Son of God, Divine and with Authority, yet the Messiah
expected by the Jews is not the person who loves through service and death as modeled
by Jesus action. Jesus will teach His Revelation through action which liberates
people and draws them into intimate relationship with God.
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