September 1, 2026
Tuesday of the Twenty-second Week in Ordinary Time
Lectionary: 432
Reading 1
Brothers and sisters:
The Spirit scrutinizes everything, even the depths of God.
Among men, who knows what pertains to the man
except his spirit that is within?
Similarly, no one knows what pertains to God except the Spirit of God.
We have not received the spirit of the world
but the Spirit who is from God,
so that we may understand the things freely given us by God.
And we speak about them not with words taught by human wisdom,
but with words taught by the Spirit,
describing spiritual realities in spiritual terms.
Now the natural man does not accept what pertains to the
Spirit of God,
for to him it is foolishness, and he cannot understand it,
because it is judged spiritually.
The one who is spiritual, however, can judge everything
but is not subject to judgment by anyone.
For “who has known the mind of the Lord, so as to counsel
him?”
But we have the mind of Christ.
Responsorial Psalm
Psalm 145:8-9,
10-11, 12-13ab, 13cd-14
R. (17) The Lord is just in all his ways.
The LORD is gracious and merciful,
slow to anger and of great kindness.
The LORD is good to all
and compassionate toward all his works.
R. The Lord is just in all his ways.
Let all your works give you thanks, O LORD,
and let your faithful ones bless you.
Let them discourse of the glory of your Kingdom
and speak of your might.
R. The Lord is just in all his ways.
Making known to men your might
and the glorious splendor of your Kingdom.
Your Kingdom is a Kingdom for all ages,
and your dominion endures through all generations.
R. The Lord is just in all his ways.
The LORD is faithful in all his words
and holy in all his works.
The LORD lifts up all who are falling
and raises up all who are bowed down.
R. The Lord is just in all his ways.
Alleluia
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
A great prophet has arisen in our midst
and God has visited his people.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel
Jesus went down to Capernaum, a town of Galilee.
He taught them on the sabbath,
and they were astonished at his teaching
because he spoke with authority.
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.
They were all amazed and said to one another,
“What is there about his word?
For with authority and power he commands the unclean spirits,
and they come out.”
And news of him spread everywhere in the surrounding region.
https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/090126.cfm
Commentary on 1
Corinthians 2:10-16
In today’s passage, Paul discusses the true nature of the
genuinely spiritual person. Not surprisingly, the source of his spirituality is
the Spirit of God:
…the Spirit searches everything, even the depths of God.
The Spirit does this, not in order to know them better—for
the Spirit knows all things. But rather, he understands fully the depths of
God’s nature and so is fully competent to reveal them to us. And just as only a
person alone knows what is going on in the depths of his or her heart, so only
the depths of God can be known by God’s own Spirit.
What distinguishes the true followers of Christ is that they
are not imbued by the spirit of the world around them. The “spirit of the
world” is that “wisdom of this age” which is alienated from God and all he
stands for (1 Cor 2:6). It is the attitude of ‘sinful nature’ as described in
the Letter to the Romans (8:6-7). Instead, true followers have received the
gift of God’s Spirit which helps us to understand the gifts and the love that
is constantly being showered on us. So Paul’s teaching is not, as he said
before, based on philosophical speculations, but comes in the way the Spirit
communicates, that is, straight to the heart and not just in the mind.
In the verses which follow (including some which are not
part of today’s reading) Paul explains why many fail to grasp true wisdom. It
is because such wisdom is perceived by the spiritual (i.e. mature) Christian.
The Corinthians, however, were unspiritual, worldly (infant) believers (1 Cor
3:1-4), and the proof of their immaturity was their division over their human
leaders (1 Cor 3:3-4).
The unspiritual person is described as one who is closed to
the working of the Spirit. The Greek term here is psychikos, a
person who depends on his own natural resources:
…who walk…according to the flesh… (Rom 8:4)
This person is dominated by the physical, worldly or natural
life.
Such a person—and we have surely met such individuals
often—rejects the gospel teaching as nonsense. In fact, he or she does not
understand it because understanding only comes through being open to the
promptings of the Spirit.
Persons who are spiritual, on the other hand:
…discern all things, and they are themselves subject to
no one else’s scrutiny.
The Spirit gives the follower of Christ deep insights into
the meaning of life, and a vision of what is really important. Paul himself, as
a ‘spiritual’ man, is not to be judged by the Corinthians who are ‘sensual’ and
immature, only able to be:
…fed…milk, not solid food, for you were not ready for
solid food. (1 Cor 4:2)
Many a truly Spirit-guided person will, as Jesus and Paul
were, be frequently criticised. Such individuals may be rejected and even
removed altogether by exile or death. But as long as they remain true to the
guidance of the Spirit, they do not feel effectively judged by such people.
Christians must never be arrogant or contemptuous of others.
At the same time, they must not fear or hesitate to be in opposition to the
conventional wisdom of their environment. In order to make sure of their
integrity, they must constantly discern the voice and the leading of God in all
that he says and does.
Paul ends by asking a question posed by Isaiah:
For who has known the mind of the Lord
so as to instruct him?
Paul answers by saying that, while we may not know the mind
of God, and still less dare to teach him, he does claim that he and many of the
baptised are those who have:
…the mind of Christ.
To have the “mind of Christ” is to see things the way Jesus
sees them, to value things the way he values them, and to totally share his
vision of the meaning and goal of our lives. What exactly that mind of Christ
is can be found in the lovely hymn that Paul quotes in his letter to the
Philippians (2:6-11). Let us pray today that we may be truly spiritual people
who share and understand the mind of Christ.
Commentary on Luke
4:31-37
Immediately after his mixed reception in Nazareth, Jesus
moves on to Capernaum, a town on the north shore of Galilee, which was to be
the base from which Jesus did much of his missionary work. As in Nazareth, he
taught the people in the synagogue on the Sabbath. Unlike in Nazareth:
They were astounded at his teaching because he spoke with
authority.
He did not quote other authorities like the teachers of the
law, because his authority was directly from God; it was his own.
At the same time, it was not the authority of domination. It
was the authority of someone who has access to special knowledge, the authority
of someone who speaks in his own name and not just on behalf of others, the
authority of one who empowers others and makes them grow.
The word ‘authority’ comes from the Latin auctoritas,
which in turn comes from the verb augere, meaning to increase or
augment. And Jesus’ authority is not only in word and teaching. Right there in
the synagogue as he speaks is a man possessed by a “spirit of an unclean
demon”. The spirit, through the man, speaks in fear of the power of Jesus:
Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are, the Holy
One of God.
This title seems to indicate that the spirit recognises
Jesus’ divine origin, but not his Messiahship. There was a belief in those
times that knowing the exact name of one’s opponent gave one power over him.
Jesus ordered the evil spirit to leave the man, who was
thrown to the ground, but not hurt. The people are amazed. Exorcism was not new
to them, but they had never seen it done with such speed and effectiveness.
They are astounded again at the power and authority of Jesus. They realise they
are in the presence of someone very special, in fact, the “Holy One of God”.
Each one of us is given authority of some kind—as a parent,
a teacher or perhaps our job responsibility. Let us make sure that we use it in
such a way as to enhance the abilities of others rather than diminish them.
https://sacredspace.com/commentary
Ordinary Time
Opening Prayer
Almighty God,
every
good thing comes from You. Fill our hearts with love for You, increase our
faith, and by Your constant care protect the good You have given us.
We ask this through our Lord Jesus
Christ, Your Son, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God,
for ever and ever. Amen.
Gospel Reading - Luke 4: 31-37
Jesus
went down to Capernaum, a town of Galilee. He taught them on the sabbath, and
they were astonished at his teaching because he spoke with authority. 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. They were all amazed and said to one another, "What is there
about his word? For with authority and power he commands the unclean spirits,
and they come out." And news of him spread everywhere in the surrounding
region.
Reflection
In today’s Gospel we can see the
facts more closely: the admiration of the people because of the way Jesus
taught and the cure of a man who was possessed by an unclean spirit. Not all
the Evangelists give this account in the same way. For Luke, the first miracle
is the peace with which Jesus liberates Himself from the threat of death on the
part of the people of Nazareth (Lk 4: 2930) and the cure of the possessed man
(Lk 4: 33-35). For Matthew, the first miracle is the cure of the sick and of
the possessed (Mt 4: 23) or, more specifically, the cure of a leper (Mt 8:
1-4). For Mark, the first miracle was the expulsion of the devil (Mk 1: 23-26).
For John, the first miracle was Cana, where Jesus changed the water into wine
(Jn 2: 1-11). Thus, in the way of narrating things, each Evangelist indicates
which was Jesus’ greatest concern.
Luke 4: 31: Jesus’ change in
direction toward Capernaum: “Jesus went down to Capernaum, a city in Galilee,
and on Saturday He taught the people.” Matthew says that Jesus went to live in
Capernaum (Mt 4: 13). He changed His residence. Capernaum was a small city on
the crossroad between two important routes: the one coming from Asia Minor and
leading to Petra on the south of Transjordan, and the other one coming from the
region of the two rivers, the Tigris and the Euphrates, and leading down toward
Egypt. The change toward Capernaum facilitated contact with the people and the
spreading of the Good News.
•
Luke
4: 32: Amazement of the people at the teaching of Jesus. The first thing that
people perceive is that Jesus teaches in a different way. It is not so much the
content that strikes them, but rather His way of teaching: “Jesus speaks with
authority.” Mark adds that because of His different way of teaching, Jesus created
a critical conscience among the people in regard to the religious authority of
His time. The people perceived and compared: “He teaches with authority, unlike
the Scribes” (Mk 1: 22, 27). The Scribes taught quoting authority. Jesus does
not quote any authority; rather He speaks from His experience of God and of His
life.
•
Luke
4: 33-35: Jesus fights against the power of evil. The first miracle is the
expulsion of the devil. The power of evil took possession of people, alienating
them. Jesus restores the people to be themselves again, giving them back
consciousness and liberty. He does this thanks to the force of His word: “Be
quiet! Come out of him!” And on another occasion, He says: “But if it is
through the finger of God that I drive devils out, then the Kingdom of God has
indeed caught you unawares” (Lk 11: 20). Today, also, many people live
alienated from themselves, subjugated by means of communication, by the
propaganda of the government and of business. They live as slaves of
consumerism, oppressed by debts and threatened by creditors. People think that
they do not live well if they do not have everything which the propaganda
announces. It is not easy to expel this power, which today alienates many
people.
•
Luke
4: 36-37: The reaction of the people: He gives orders to the unclean spirits.
Jesus not only has a different way of teaching the things of God, but another
aspect which evokes admiration in the people is His power over unclean spirits:
“What is it in His words? He gives orders to unclean spirits with authority and
power and they come out.” Jesus opens a new path so that the people can place
themselves before God to pray and to receive the blessings promised to Abraham.
Before, they had to purify themselves. There were many laws and norms which
made the life of the people difficult and marginalized many people who were
considered impure. But now, purified by faith in Jesus, people could once again
place themselves before God and pray to Him, without needing to have recourse
to the complicated norms of purity, which were frequently expensive.
Personal Questions
•
Jesus
brings about admiration and astonishment among the people. Does the way of
acting of our community draw admiration from the people of the neighborhood?
What type of admiration? Are my personal actions also worthy of admiration?
•
Jesus
drives out the power of evil and restores people to be themselves again. Today
many people live alienated from everything. How can we help them to recover and
be themselves again?
Concluding Prayer
Yahweh is tenderness and pity, slow
to anger, full of faithful love.
Yahweh is generous to all.
His tenderness embraces all His
creatures. (Ps 145: 8-9)
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