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Tune Out the Distracting Noise… and Listen

4^th Sunday of Ordinary Time – Year B

The action of this Sunday’s Gospel takes place in Capernaum. Did you ever wonder why Jesus made his authority known in Capernaum not some other city?

We know Jesus’ forerunner, St. John the Baptist, carried out his mission in the desert. Because the desert is not an easy place to live or even gather, Jesus, likely chose to begin His ministry in Capernaum where many people converged. Capernaum was a small port city in Galilee. Here many people interacted in order to trade. Not far from this city, a Roman battalion kept watch and trained. Capernaum was also a center for tax collectors because it was located between Israel and Egypt. Thus, Capernaum was a strategic place for Jesus to begin His ministry because it was filled with all kinds of characters and people from all parts of society who, like us, longed for His Love and His healing.

In today’s Gospel we hear that Jesus spoke with an authority that the scribes did not possess. And with this same authority, He healed people, cast out demons, forgave others, and prayed. What Jesus said and did in Capernaum fascinated the people. As a result, the message of His love and forgiveness spread quickly throughout all of Galilee.

We live in a time of an inflation of words. We are inundated with noise and words from politicians, mass media, the radio, films, newspapers, advertisements, the internet, etc. that we have ceased to even listen. In fact, we are so saturated with information that the words we hear frequently never reach the depths of our hearts where each of us has a real hunger for the truth and for hope. We have become so desensitized that we do not hear Christ’s voice in our hearts, reminding us of His presence, His love, and His forgiveness.

I would like encourage you to try to take time to step away from all the noise and empty words that fill your lives, and invite each of you to spend some time in silence, reading Scripture, where you will be able to hear Jesus’ voice in your heart. Just as Jesus wanted to speak to the hearts of those who lived in Capernaum, so, too, does He wish to speak to our hearts the words of truth, forgiveness, and healing. For, it is only His words that will bring us true and lasting peace and happiness.

Yours in Christ,
Father Arthur

Readings for the Fourth Sunday of Ordinary Time: Lectionary 71