Deut 18:15-20 / 1 Cor 7:32-35 / Mark 1:21-28
In the Catholic Church, there is this “Book of Blessings” which is used by priests to invoke God’s blessings.
These prayers of blessings are for persons as well as for objects.
So there are prayers of blessings for birthdays, wedding anniversaries, expectant parents, children, travellers and religious gatherings.
There are also prayers of blessings for religious objects and articles like holy water, candles, crucifixes, holy pictures, statues and rosaries.
There are also prayers of blessings for vehicles, electrical equipment, food, animals and even a general blessing for anything.
The purpose of the blessing is to place the persons and objects under the protection and guidance of the Lord so that whether persons or objects, all will be used for the glory of God.
The prayers are formulated based on Scripture, and so it can be said that every prayer of blessing is a proclamation of the power of God and the wonders He will do for His people.
In the gospel, we heard that when Jesus taught in the synagogue, His teaching made a deep impression because He taught with authority.
Jesus is the Word of God made flesh. His teaching brought about blessings from God and that is why people followed Him to hear His teaching.
But in the synagogue just then, there was a man possessed by an unclean spirit, and it shouted: What do you want with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us?
As Jesus proclaimed the Word of God, He nourished the people with truth and love, and gave them hope and inspiration.
But it also pierced the darkness of sin and evil, such that evil is to be driven out and sin is to be cleansed.
The man who was possessed by an unclean spirit went to the synagogue to pray and to hear a teaching from Jesus.
Coming into direct contact with the Word of God, the evil that was hidden in him was disturbed and eventually revealed itself.
Its reaction to Jesus was with anger and hostility. Confronted with truth and love, evil is revealed and it was defensive.
Jesus responded calmly but firmly: Be quiet! Come out of him!
And making a dramatic exit, the evil spirit was driven out, and the man was cleansed and freed of the evil.
That will make us think about the Word of God that we hear at Mass or at prayer gatherings or when we read the Bible.
The Word of God is a blessing for us. It enlightens us, nourishes us with truth and love, and gives us hope and inspiration.
But the Word of God would also reveal the darkness of sin in us.
Jesus wants to cleanse the sin in us and scatter the darkness of evil so that we can receive God’s blessings.
As God’s People, we are also called to be a channel and instrument of God’s blessings for others.
That is why we must read the word of God and be attentive to the voice of Jesus in the Scriptures, so that enlightened by truth and cleansed by love, sin will be forgiven and darkness will be scattered.
When the Word of God takes root in our hearts, then we will bear the fruit of being a prophetic people.
Then we will speak in such a way that others will love to listen to us. And we will also listen in such a way that others will love to speak to us.
So let us listen to the Word of God, let us read the Word of God, let us speak the Word of God, so that we will receive a blessing and in turn be a blessing for others.