Gospel Reflection 2020/2021
St Paul [Rm 7: 14-15] confessed honestly that, “I am of the flesh, sold into slavery under sin. I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate.”
St Augustine of Hippo, one of the great saints of the Catholic Church, echoed the same sentiment in his book ‘Confession’:
“My inner self was a house divided against itself…”
“When I was trying to reach a decision about serving the Lord my God, as I had long intended to do so, it was I who willed to take this course and again it was I who willed not to take it. So I was at odds with myself…”
“I was held back by my old attachments. In my state of indecision, these old attachments, the delights of the world, the lusts of the flesh kept me from tearing myself away, from shaking myself free of them and leaping across the barrier to the other side where You were calling me, Lord.”
Like St Paul and St Augustine, all of us have the similar struggle – the internal conflict and the divided self. We are torn between ‘to be or not to be’ and 'to do or not to do'… Deep inside us, we are divided. We are constantly fighting against the three principal enemies of our souls: the flesh, the world and the devil. Like St Paul, we want to do good and be good, but we end up doing the evil we hate and becoming the evil character we abhor.
In the Gospel reading this Sunday, we hear of the man possessed by an unclean spirit. The man was torn inside: he knew Jesus is the Holy One of God, yet he was afraid of Him; he wanted Jesus, yet at the same time, wanted to hide from Him. Such similar response was observed in Genesis, after Adam and Eve had disobeyed God, they hid themselves from God out of fear, shame and guilt.
Who then can deliver us from our internal conflict?
Who then can heal our divided self?
Who then can fight alongside with us against the flesh, the world and the devil?
In Christian iconography, there is a specific depiction of Jesus called ‘Christ Pantocrator’ or ‘Christ the Almighty’. Yes, we can count on Jesus the Almighty and His words – even the unclean spirits obey Him. His words are creative, transformative and authoritative: useful for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness… [2 Tm 3: 16-17]. And His words can teach our minds, transform our hearts and transfigure our souls. Only through Him, with Him, and in Him, we can be truly free to devote ourselves to the Lord’s affair and please Him all the days of our lives.
Let our fervent prayer be:
“Lord Jesus Christ, give us free mind and undivided heart to love You, to worship You and to serve You.”