“WHAT HAVE YOU 

TO DO WITH US, 

JESUS OF NAZARETH?” 

INTRODUCTION

The title of my homily for this First Tuesday in Ordinary Time comes out of today’s gospel [Mark 1: 21-28] A man - described as having an unclean spirit - is in the synagogue that Jesus entered. He cries out at Jesus, “What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are – the Holy One of God!”

I always thought the first part of that moment - the question - is a great morning prayer. Wouldn’t it be a great idea to pause each morning after waking up and asking Jesus, “What have you do with us, Jesus of Nazareth?”

Then to pause again…. Then to think about what we are going to do this day …. Whom we’re going to see? Then to ask Jesus in prayer: “How can you be with me - with those I’m going to be with today?”

Then to pause again, to think, to listen to Jesus…. Then to receive Jesus in communion…. Then together - with his Spirit - to work together to make today the best day we can make it….

Jesus didn’t come to destroy our fun - our spirits - our smarts - our lives - our daily work load - our daily stuff - our creativity. He came to restore, to renew, to build up daily moments - daily expenditures - daily happenings - daily breaks - chats - chance meetings.

That’s how I see why Jesus came - not just 2000 years ago as a baby, but for today ….

PRAYER: LORD MAKE ME AN INSTRUMENT OF YOUR PEACE

If that question of that guy in the synagogue in Capernaum that day doesn’t grab you as a good morning prayer, then by default go to St. Francis’ Peace prayer as a daily morning prayer.

Lord, make me an instrument of your peace today - where there is hatred, let me sow love, where there is injury pardon, where there is doubt, faith, where there is despair, hope, where there is darkness, light, where there is sadness, joy - not so much as seeking to be consoled as to console, not to be understood as to understand, not to be loved as to love.

Either way - have a quick morning prayer - each day.

CHARTRES CATHEDRAL - MALCOLM MILLER

Everyday we don’t learn something new, but wouldn’t that be neat if we did, if that happened?

I love what I call Malcolm Miller Moments. They are learning moments. They are moments when someone says something that gives us a life wisdom - an insight - an, “Aha! Okay! Got it!”

It’s 1996. I’m standing amongst a crowd of about 40 people in Chartres Cathedral in France - listening to a famous expert tour guide, docent. He says the following: “Hundreds of thousands of pilgrims came to this cathedral for centuries. This was the Marian Shrine of Europe. And what did they come to see? It was Mary’s cloak…. a relic from her life.”

Then Malcolm Miller said the following: “It didn’t make any difference if it was the cloak of Mary. What made a difference was that everyone beloved it was the cloak of Mary.”

That comment had a great impact on me. I didn’t know it would - when I heard it, but looking back it became what I would call a Malcolm Miller Moment. It’s a moment when someone provides me a great insight - that impacts for life.

I thought of that comment when I was reading William Barclay’s commentary on today’s gospel. He said: in Jesus’ time some people believed that there were seven and a half million demons here on earth. Each person has 10,000 on their right and 10,000 on their left.

Evil spirits were everywhere. Then Barclay said the same thing that I heard Malcom Miller say, “It does not matter whether or not we believe in all this; whether it is true or not is beside the point. The point is that the people in the New Testament times did.”

CONCLUSION

People today don’t believe there are evil spirits everywhere - but listen carefully, people worry about influences around them - that they don’t like - and don’t want for their kids - or for themselves.

This day they might feel like Hannah in today’s first reading - because they have a bitter spirit. Or they might feel like Eli in today’s first reading and they have a judging others spirit - and they don’t like that they are doing just that - thinking Hannah to be a drunk. [Cf. 1 Samuel 1: 9-20]

So we know what it’s like to have bad spirits pervading us.

So do we believe we can ask Jesus to be in us today - as we deal with influences, attitudes, demons - our ugly spirits - whatever you want to call them and Jesus can help us make today a great day? Amen.