O.T. IV: DEUT 18:15-20; I COR 7:32-35 MK 1:21-28

 Did your mother ever say any of the following to you?

- "I could plant potatoes in those ears."
- "I’m not your maid."
- "If your friends jumped off a cliff does that mean you have to jump  too?"

Perhaps these phrases are familiar to you as well

- "Just wait till you have kids of your own!"
- "Don't talk with food in your mouth!"
- "You weren't born in a barn, so stop acting like you were!"

And of course, the all time classic – "Because I'm your mother, that's why!"

These expressions have been passed from generation to generation. They are expressions of authority - the authority of a parent over a child. Authority however is weaker in some people and stronger in others.

We have all heard parents who say things like "I really mean it this time" and known that it means nothing.

Equally, we have heard others say simply and quietly - "Come here, children" and seen an entire herd of kids tumble into a classroom, waiting for what is to be said next.

Authority and power is not easy to define but it is easy to recognize when we see it.

The common theme of today’s readings is Divine authority- manifested in Jesus’ power to drive out demons.

The Old Testament prophets had taught using God’s delegated authority, and the scribes and Pharisees taught quoting Moses, the prophets and the great rabbis. But Jesus taught using his own authority and knowledge as God. Jesus used his real (or authentic) authority to teach, empower, liberate, and heal others.

The devil is not a fashionable topic for those of us who live in the post-modern world. Yet, the story of Christ's life and ministry simply cannot be told without referring to the devil. The Apostle John, in his First Letter (4:8), actually sums up Jesus' mission with the following words: "The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil."

There is a spiritual battle going on beneath and above the surface of human history, and of our personal history. We cannot avoid being involved in this battle as long as we are here on earth - the devil is just too interested in making our lives miserable, now and forever, by separating us from God. The devil is interested in sabotaging the work of grace in us. 

As we read in the book of Genesis, after creating everything God entrusted everything to the care of the first parents. They were made the owners of the earth. Then Satan tricked them and subjected them to himself by getting them go against God’s will; making them believe that by eating the fruit they will become like God. At the time of temptation of Jesus in the wilderness, Satan showing the things of the world, said to Jesus, all these that you can see belongs to me. I will give them to you if you fall down and worship me. To which Jesus did not deny the fact that Satan is the ruler of them. He did not say, no, it belongs to God. Later in John’s gospel Jesus says: the ruler of this world is coming, but he has no power over me. And in the context of the resurrection Jesus said: I have conquered the world. So, with his death Jesus conquered Satan and his power. Those who belong to Jesus by faith and baptism are no longer under the rule of Satan. Satan has no power over them now. Jesus defeated Satan and gave his disciples the power to drive out demons.

Now, will those who have received Jesus not be affected by Satan? Of course they will be. That is why St Peter in his First warns (1 Peter 5:8): "Be sober and vigilant. Your opponent the devil is prowling around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour."  So we need the courage to resist the Satan.

Leslie Weatherhead once told a parable of a little boy who fled from a witch who had turned herself into a cat. As the boy ran, he kept glancing fearfully over his shoulder. The first time he looked back, the cat was the size of a calf. The next time he looked, it had grown to the dimensions of an elephant. Then the boy fell, and was unable to go farther. Resolutely he got up and faced the pursuing horror. It stopped. So he took a step toward it. It backed away. As he continued to advance toward it, it began to shrink in size as it retreated from him. Finally it changed into a mouse and ran under the door of the witch's cottage to be seen no more. This is what happens when we resist Satan, knowing that we are no longer under him.

I remember one story someone told about how Satan tries to intimidate us. Image a man working under a tyrant who shouts at the employee, humiliates, scolds and beats him. One day a nice gentle man walks in and finds this treatment and offers this man a job in his firm. And he started working for this new employer. One day the old employer walks in and finds his old employee there and starts dictating as he used to before. Now because of the old fear for this employer, the employee couches a little bit and started obeying him out of fear for him. This is what happens for us Christians. We don’t realize that we are no longer under that despotic any more. So we need to assert our freedom and resist him in the name and power of Jesus.

Evil operates as an active force in our world as well as in our souls. When we hear the activities of Boko Haram and ISIS, who would deny that our century is possessed of an evil spirit? This is why we need to pray to Mary who crushed the head of Satan and to St.Michael who defeated Satan in the beginning.

As we continue with this celebration of the Mass, let’s remember that we have been given authority by God, through Jesus Christ, to heal, to proclaim, to change, to bring redemption, and to expel. We are under an imperative from God and we need not fear either principalities or death, for Christ has been given all authority over heaven and earth. Now we need to start applying that authority, using the power of the Cross and the blood of the Lamb. Try to anoint yourself and others everyday by saying the prayer: Abba, Father, purify me (or the one you want to pray for), in the precious blood of Jesus and fill me with your Holy Spirit.