Posted on 08/31/2026 11:40:24 PM PDT by fidelis
In the synagogue there was a man with the spirit of an unclean demon, and he cried out in a loud voice, “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, “Be quiet! Come out of him!” Then the demon threw the man down in front of them and came out of him without doing him any harm. Luke 4:33–35
Yesterday, we began reading from the Gospel of Luke in our weekday liturgies, and we will continue to do so until the season of Advent. Luke’s Gospel was written especially for Gentile converts—those unfamiliar with Jewish customs—presenting Jesus not only as the fulfillment of Israel’s hopes but also as the Savior of all humanity.
Unlike Matthew, who highlights Christ’s fulfillment of Old Testament prophecy, Luke reveals a broader vision: a universal Savior who brings healing, mercy, and salvation to the poor, the outcast, and the sinner.
In today’s passage, that universal mission is subtly foreshadowed through Jesus’ divine authority. Though the setting is a Jewish synagogue in Capernaum, His actions speak to a power not confined to time, place, or people. With a simple word, Jesus rebukes the demon, silences its protest, and frees the afflicted man. The astonishment of the crowd—“What is there about his word?”—captures the essence of the moment: Here is One whose authority reaches even into the unseen spiritual world and commands it.
Though He ministers among His own people, Jesus is not merely a teacher of the Law or a local prophet. His authority is absolute, His identity divine. The demon’s cry—“I know who you are, the Holy One of God!”—offers a strange testimony: Even the spiritual forces of darkness recognize and submit to Him. This is not just a healing; it is a confrontation between the kingdom of God and the powers of evil. And it is only the beginning.
Luke includes this scene early in his Gospel to show that Jesus’ mission is one of liberation—liberation from sin, bondage, and every form of darkness. The fact that this miracle occurs in a synagogue reminds us that no place, however sacred, is immune to the presence of evil. But more importantly, it reminds us that no evil is immune to the authority of Christ.
Reflect today on the universal scope of Luke’s Gospel, which we will hear over the coming months. Though Jesus begins within Israel, His mission reaches every soul. By beginning His ministry with a confrontation against evil, Jesus reveals that He has come not only to teach but to conquer—to break the chains of darkness and bring divine healing to the world. His Word still speaks with authority. May we listen, believe, and be set free from the evil one and all his demonic powers, so that we may help proclaim Christ’s Kingdom to the ends of the earth in our own unique ways.
My Lord and Holy One of God, from the very beginning of Your public ministry, You established Your divine authority over evil, revealing that You came to destroy the kingdom of darkness and to build Your Eternal Kingdom of truth and grace. Please cast out all evil and sin from my heart, so that Your reign may take full possession of my soul. Use me as You will to further Your Kingdom on earth, bringing Your light and truth to the ends of the earth, one soul at a time. Jesus, I trust in You.
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Today’s First Reading
From: 1 Corinthians 2:10b-16
Divine Wisdom
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[10b] For the Spirit searches everything, even the depths of God. [11] For what person knows a man's thoughts except the spirit of the man which is in him? So also no one comprehends the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. [12] Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit which is from God, that we might understand the gifts bestowed on us by God. [13] And we impart this in words not taught by human wisdom but taught by the Spirit, interpreting spiritual truths to those who possess the Spirit.
[14] The unspiritual man does not receive the gifts of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned. [15] The spiritual man judges all things, but is himself to be judged by no one. [16] "For who has known the mind of the Lord so as to instruct him?" But we have the mind of Christ.
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Commentary:
10-12. "God has revealed to us through the Spirit": meaning the Holy Spirit, the third person of the Blessed Trinity, "which is from God" (v. 12) and knows the very depths of God (vv. 10-11). These words reveal to us the divinity of the Holy Spirit; knowing a person implies having intimacy with him; the Holy Spirit knows the depths of God because by nature he is God, equal to the Father and the Son (cf. Mt 11:25). "The Holy Spirit is equally God with the Father and the Son, equally omnipotent and eternal, infinitely perfect, the supreme good, infinitely wise, and of the same nature as the Father and the Son [...]. Scripture also attributes to him the power to sanctify, to vivify, to search the depths of God, to speak through the Prophets, and to be present in all places--all of which can be attributed to God alone" ("St Pius V Catechism", I, 9, 4).
Jesus had told his Apostles that "when the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all truth" (Jn 16:13); and on the day of Pentecost the Holy Spirit did open their minds to understand the truth revealed by Jesus Christ. The Holy Spirit also acted in St Paul, so that he had the same knowledge of Revelation as the other Apostles (cf. Gal 2:1-10). The same Spirit continues to act in the Church: "The Holy Spirit, who is the spirit of truth, because he proceeds from the Father, eternal Truth, and the Son, substantial truth, receives from each of them, along with his essence, all truth, which he then communicates to the Church, helping never to err" (Leo XIII, "Divinum Illud Munus", 7).
13. The handing on of the faith calls for great care in the terminology used: "The Church, with the long labor of centuries and not without the help of the Holy Spirit, has established a rule of language and confirmed it with the authority of the Councils. This rule, which has more than once been the watchword and banner of orthodox faith, must be religiously preserved, and let no one presume to change it at his own pleasure or under the pretext of new science" (Paul VI, "Mysterium Fidei", 3).
The Church has always been concerned about this need to explain the deposit of faith accurately: "You have received gold," St Vincent of Lerins comments, "let you therefore give gold. I do not want you to give one thing instead of another. I do not want you to be so shameless and deceptive that you give me lead or bronze in place of gold; I do not want something that looks like gold: I want pure gold" ("Commonitorium", 22).
The last part of this verse is unclear and can be translated in various ways as the RSV text and note show.
14-16. The original text says "psychikos". This is not easy to translate. Some versions say "natural man", others "animal man", which is literally what the New Vulgate says. What it means is the person who acts only by using his or her human faculties (intelligence and will) and who therefore can be wise only in the things of this world. The spiritual man is the Christian reborn by the grace of God; grace elevates his faculties to enable him to perform actions which have a supernatural value--acts of faith, hope and charity. A person who is in the state of grace is able to perceive the things of God, because he carries with him the Spirit in his soul in grace, and he has Christ's mind, Christ's attitude. "We have no alternative", St. J. Escriva teaches. "There are only two possible ways of living on this earth: either we live a supernatural life, or we live an animal life. And you and I can only live the life of God, a supernatural life" ("Friends of God", 200).
St John Chrysostom very graphically contrasts the capacity of the spiritual man and that of the unspiritual man as far as understanding God's plan of salvation is concerned: "He who has sight sees everything, including the person who has no sight; but the sightless person cannot see the things of the person who has sight. We Christians know what our own situation is, and we also know the situation of unbelievers; the unbelievers, however, do not understand ours. Like them we know--and we know better than they do--the nature of things present; unbelievers do not know the sublimity of things to come, whereas we already see what will some day become of the world, and what sinners will suffer, and the righteous enjoy" ("Hom. on 1 Cor", 7, "ad loc."). And St Thomas Aquinas: "A conscious person rightly perceives both that he is awake and that the other person is asleep; but the person who is asleep cannot form a correct judgment concerning either himself or the one who is awake. Therefore, things are not the way they are seen by someone asleep: they are as they appear to be to a conscious person [...]. And so the Apostle says that 'the spiritual man judges all things': for a person whose understanding is enlightened and whose affections are regulated by the Holy Spirit forms correct judgments on particular matters to do with salvation. He who is unspiritual has a darkened understanding and disordered affection as far as spiritual things are concerned, and therefore the spiritual man cannot be judged by the unspiritual man, just as the sleeping person cannot judge the one who is awake" ("Commentary on 1 Cor, ad loc.").
From: Luke 4:31-37
Jesus Preaches in Capernaum
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[31] And He (Jesus) went down to Capernaum, a city of Galilee. And He was teaching them on the Sabbath; [32]and they were astonished at His teaching, for His word was with authority.
The Cure of the Demoniac
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[33] And in the synagogue there was a man who had the spirit of an unclean demon; and he cried out with a loud voice, [34] "Ah! 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." [35] But Jesus rebuked him, saying, "Be silent, and come out of him!" And when the demon had thrown him down in the midst, he came out of him, having done him no harm. [36] And they were all amazed and said to one another, "What is this word? For with authority and power He commands the unclean spirits, and they come out." [37] And reports of Him went out into every place in the surrounding region.
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Commentary:
33-37. Jesus now demonstrates by His actions that authority which was evident in His words.
34. The demons tells the truth here when he calls Jesus "the Holy One of God", but Jesus does not accept this testimony from the "father of lies" (John 8:44). This shows that the devil usually says something partially true in order to disguise untruth; by sowing confusion in this way, he can more readily deceive people. By silencing and expelling the demon, Jesus teaches us to be prudent and not let ourselves by deceived by half-truths.
The Month of September is Dedicated to Our Lady of Sorrows
“And his father and his mother marveled at what was said about him; and Simeon blessed them and said to Mary his mother, ‘Behold, this child is set for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign that is spoken against (and a sword will pierce through your own soul also), that thoughts out of many hearts may be revealed.’” (Luke 2:33-35)
Pope Leo XIV’s prayer intention for the month of September, 2026:
For the care of water
Let us pray for a just and sustainable management of water, a vital resource, so that everyone may have equal access to it.
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