Today's readings are here: http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/012912.cfm
"He commands even the unclean spirits and they obey him."
It is not too often when we can learn from the example of a demon, but today's Gospel affords us such an opportunity. When Jesus is confronted by a man possessed with an unclean spirit, he commands the demon to come out of the man; and the demon obeys him. Would that we were as obedient to Christ's commands!
To be sure, the demon obeyed Christ out of compulsion, that is, he was forced against his will; whereas, we should obey Christ out of willingness and love. In addition, the demon was worried that Christ had come to destroy him; whereas, we know that Christ has come, not to destroy us, but to free us from the "demon" of sin in our lives and to take us to his home in heaven where we will be eternally happy. In other words, Christ's saving love for us is the best motivation we have for obeying him out of love, not out of fear.
When Christ commands, he simultaneously gives the power to obey. May we humbly depend on that power so that we can be freed of the "unclean spirits" in our life.
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