REFLECTIONS TODAY A lot of videos in the internet advocate causes like ending poverty, saving the environment. I must say some of the speakers speak with such authority and credibility that I feel so convinced by what they are advocating. They might not have been celebrities, but I am so impressed by their power of persuasion. I could feel they are not just putting on a show but are dead serious about their convictions. We can imagine how it must have been to hear Jesus speak, preach, and teach. The Gospel today precisely describes how people are so amazed at him when he teaches and when he drives out an unclean spirit. Some people think that to be convincing, to be credible, one has to use force or perform a lot of tricks. But the essence of power or authority does not reside in these. In the end, it all boils down to the witness that the person gives to what he or she teaches or proclaims. Jesus is authoritative in word and deed. He is the Son of God. He is our best teacher in being credible witnesses. Gospel • Mk 1:21-28 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. Source: “365 Days with the Lord 2022,” St. Paul's, 7708 St. Paul Rd., SAV, Makati City (Phils.); Tel.: 632-895-9701; Fax 632-895-7328; E-mail: [email protected]; Website: http://www.stpauls.ph.