Word to be heard, to be welcomed, to be proclaimed. With authority: with root, with power to amaze

The Gospel passage for this Sunday (cf. Mk 1:21-28) presents Jesus who, with his small community of disciples, enters Capernaum, the city where Peter lived and which at that time was the largest in Galilee. And Jesus enters that city.

The evangelist Mark relates that Jesus, being that day a Sabbath, immediately went into the synagogue and began to teach (cf. v. 21). This suggests the primacy of the Word of God, Word to be heard, Word to be received, Word to be proclaimed. Arriving in Capernaum, Jesus does not postpone the proclamation of the Gospel, he does not think first of the logistical arrangement, certainly necessary, of his small community, he does not delay in organising it. His main concern is to communicate the Word of God by the power of the Holy Spirit. And the people in the synagogue are impressed, because Jesus "taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes" (v. 22).

What does 'with authority' mean? It means that in the human words of Jesus one felt the full force of the Word of God, one felt the very authority of God, the inspirer of the Holy Scriptures. And one of the characteristics of the Word of God is that it realises what it says. For the Word of God corresponds to his will. Instead, we often utter empty, rootless words or superfluous words, words that do not correspond to the truth. Instead, the Word of God corresponds to the truth, it is unity with his will and realises what he says. In fact, Jesus, after preaching, immediately demonstrates his authority by freeing a man, present in the synagogue, who was possessed by the devil (cf. Mk 1:23-26). It was precisely Christ's divine authority that had aroused the reaction of Satan, who was hiding in that man; Jesus, in turn, immediately recognised the voice of the evil one and "sternly commanded: 'Be silent! Come out of him!'" (v. 25). By the power of his word alone, Jesus delivers the person from the evil one. And again those present are amazed: "He commands even the unclean spirits and they obey him!" (v. 27). The Word of God creates astonishment in us. It possesses the power to make us amazed.

The Gospel is a word of life: it does not oppress people, on the contrary, it frees those who are enslaved to so many evil spirits of this world: the spirit of vanity, attachment to money, pride, sensuality... The Gospel changes hearts, it changes lives, it transforms evil inclinations into good intentions. The Gospel is capable of changing people! It is therefore the task of Christians to spread its redeeming power everywhere, becoming missionaries and heralds of the Word of God. This is also suggested to us by today's passage, which closes with a missionary opening and says: "His fame - the fame of Jesus - immediately spread everywhere, throughout the whole region of Galilee" (v. 28). The new doctrine taught with authority by Jesus is that which the Church brings to the world, together with the effective signs of his presence: the authoritative teaching and the liberating action of the Son of God become the words of salvation and the gestures of love of the missionary Church. Always remember that the Gospel has the power to change lives! Do not forget this. It is the Good News, which transforms us only when we allow ourselves to be transformed by it. That is why I always ask you to have daily contact with the Gospel, to read it every day, a passage, a passage, to meditate on it and also to carry it with you everywhere: in your pocket, in your bag... In other words, to nourish yourself every day from this inexhaustible source of salvation. Do not forget! Read a passage from the Gospel every day. It is the power that changes us, that transforms us: it changes lives, it changes hearts.

Let us invoke the maternal intercession of the Virgin Mary, She who received the Word and generated it for the world, for all men. May she teach us to be assiduous listeners and authoritative proclaimers of the Gospel of Jesus.

[Pope Francis, Angelus 1 February 2015]

51 Last modified on Monday, 05 January 2026 04:08

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don Giuseppe Nespeca

Giuseppe Nespeca è architetto e sacerdote. Cultore della Sacra scrittura è autore della raccolta "Due Fuochi due Vie - Religione e Fede, Vangeli e Tao"; coautore del libro "Dialogo e Solstizio".

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The ability to be amazed at things around us promotes religious experience and makes the encounter with the Lord more fruitful. On the contrary, the inability to marvel makes us indifferent and widens the gap between the journey of faith and daily life (Pope Francis)

La capacità di stupirsi delle cose che ci circondano favorisce l’esperienza religiosa e rende fecondo l’incontro con il Signore. Al contrario, l’incapacità di stupirci rende indifferenti e allarga le distanze tra il cammino di fede e la vita di ogni giorno (Papa Francesco)

An ancient hermit says: “The Beatitudes are gifts of God and we must say a great ‘thank you’ to him for them and for the rewards that derive from them, namely the Kingdom of God in the century to come and consolation here; the fullness of every good and mercy on God’s part … once we have become images of Christ on earth” (Peter of Damascus) [Pope Benedict]

Afferma un antico eremita: «Le Beatitudini sono doni di Dio, e dobbiamo rendergli grandi grazie per esse e per le ricompense che ne derivano, cioè il Regno dei Cieli nel secolo futuro, la consolazione qui, la pienezza di ogni bene e misericordia da parte di Dio … una volta che si sia divenuti immagine del Cristo sulla terra» (Pietro di Damasco) [Papa Benedetto]

And quite often we too, beaten by the trials of life, have cried out to the Lord: “Why do you remain silent and do nothing for me?”. Especially when it seems we are sinking, because love or the project in which we had laid great hopes disappears (Pope Francis)

E tante volte anche noi, assaliti dalle prove della vita, abbiamo gridato al Signore: “Perché resti in silenzio e non fai nulla per me?”. Soprattutto quando ci sembra di affondare, perché l’amore o il progetto nel quale avevamo riposto grandi speranze svanisce (Papa Francesco)

The Kingdom of God grows here on earth, in the history of humanity, by virtue of an initial sowing, that is, of a foundation, which comes from God, and of a mysterious work of God himself, which continues to cultivate the Church down the centuries. The scythe of sacrifice is also present in God's action with regard to the Kingdom: the development of the Kingdom cannot be achieved without suffering (John Paul II)

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For those who first heard Jesus, as for us, the symbol of light evokes the desire for truth and the thirst for the fullness of knowledge which are imprinted deep within every human being. When the light fades or vanishes altogether, we no longer see things as they really are. In the heart of the night we can feel frightened and insecure, and we impatiently await the coming of the light of dawn. Dear young people, it is up to you to be the watchmen of the morning (cf. Is 21:11-12) who announce the coming of the sun who is the Risen Christ! (John Paul II)

Per quanti da principio ascoltarono Gesù, come anche per noi, il simbolo della luce evoca il desiderio di verità e la sete di giungere alla pienezza della conoscenza, impressi nell'intimo di ogni essere umano. Quando la luce va scemando o scompare del tutto, non si riesce più a distinguere la realtà circostante (Giovanni Paolo II)

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