2nd Week in Ordinary Time : Thursday 21st January 2021

Jesus never looked on majesty as something to be selfishly enjoyed. Jesus is the unique example of divine majesty and divine service combined. He knew that he had been given his supreme position, not to guard it jealously in splendid isolation, but rather to enable others to attain to it and to share it. He removed the barriers between God and humanity; he built a bridge across which we could go into the presence of God.

In today’s Gospel, we see Jesus sternly bidding the evil spirits to remain silent. The popular idea of the Messiah was of a conquering king who, with his mighty armies, would defeat the Romans and lead the Jews to freedom.

Jesus thought of Messiahship in terms of love; the people thought of Messiahship in terms of Jewish nationalism. Hence, before there could be any proclamation of his Messiahship, Jesus had to educate the people into the true idea of what it meant. He saw in Messiahship a way of service, of sacrifice and of love with a cross at the end of it.

Lord, you have called us to be humble servants in Your vineyard. Grant us the grace to be humble servants of the Kingdom of God.