Are you afraid of facing evil around you or in yourself? Where should you start to be stronger against evil tendencies? - Daily Reflections January 22,2014

FACING EVIL   Again, Jesus works on the Sabbath. The Pharisees wondered why Jesus, as a teacher speaking in the synagogue, did not tell the sick man to observe the Law and wait until the holy day was over. Was Jesus just annoying the Pharisees because they always criticized whatever He said or did? Surely not. Sickness was understood as caused by evil forces. In other words, the man with a withered hand, according to contemporary belief, had been touched and was maimed by evil forces.        Now, Jesus had come into this world to fight and overcome evil, as Mark portrays His whole ministry as an ongoing warfare against Satan and demons. Evil stands on the opposite side of God. Being in the synagogue, a house of prayer, evil had no place. He had to act, and act He did. After all, what He intended to do on this day of the Lord was something good that God must approve of wholeheartedly. And so He put the Pharisees in a dilemma by asking them whether it is allowed to do good or to do evil on the Sabbath. The answer was obvious, but they refused to agree with Jesus. Two religious positions clashed here: the ritual and legalistic approach to God, and the compassionate approach of service. For Jesus, the most important thing was the merciful and loving response to a person in need of help.        Evil surrounds us; we detect evil even in our very hearts. We rarely confront the devil directly in dramatic situations like in an exorcism. But we encounter all kinds of effects of evil around us. Unfortunately, evil can also look good and often does look good. Let us not be fooled when evil seemingly looks good; it is a power out to destroy. We feel at times like young David in the First Reading, facing the evil enemy Goliath. David did not run away; he faced the enemy with confidence because he came against him “in the name of the Lord of Hosts.” As long as we see evil for what it is and face it “in the name of God,” we can and will be victorious and so continue the ministry of the Lord in our time. Fr. Rudy Horst, SVD   REFLECTION QUESTIONS: Are you afraid of facing evil around you or in yourself? Where should you start to be stronger against evil tendencies?   Lord, the example of Jesus, who confronts the effects of evil without hesitation, encourages me to be more courageous in fighting against evil. Give me the strength to overcome my fears.