1/10/12 - He Commands The Unclean Spirits

Mark 1:20-28

Jesus came to Capernaum with his followers,
and on the sabbath he entered the synagogue and taught.
The people were astonished at his teaching,
for he taught them as one having authority and not as the scribes.
In their synagogue was a man with an unclean spirit;
he cried out, "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!"
Jesus rebuked him and said, "Quiet! Come out of him!"
The unclean spirit convulsed him and with a loud cry came out of him.
All were amazed and asked one another,
"What is this?
A new teaching with authority.
He commands even the unclean spirits and they obey him."
His fame spread everywhere throughout the whole region of Galilee.

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According to the Gospels, at the time of Christ unclean spirits existed, and they had great influence on people's lives. Those witnessing this event were certainly shocked. It's interesting to consider WHY, though. They don't appear to be shocked at all that an unclean spirit influencing a person. They were shocked by Christ's authority over the spirit.

So ... how real is this episode to us today? Was this something that occurred during a specific time and place, or do we have this problem now? Do unclean spirits impact our lives?

In today's world, if I believe in unclean spirits (ie, demons), I'm crazy. Flat out nuts. But the testimony of the Church, both in the Sacred Scriptures and Sacred Tradition, is that they are indeed out there, and that they try to prevent us from having a relationship with God. In Christ, we have the ultimate weapon against them, but we need to be able to recognize the enemy at work in our daily lives to fully use that weapon.