The Spirit and the Mind of Christ
Tuesday of the 22nd Week in Ordinary Time
1 Corinthians 2:10-16; Luke 4:31-37
Today God's word asks us to consider matters of the spirit.
What is the spirit within us?
Whose spirit has authority over us?
In our gospel reading,
Jesus confronts and expels a demon
with the spirit and authority that he has as the Son of God.
The demon tries to control Jesus by calling him by name,
but Jesus silences the demon and saves the man.
We say that there is power in the name of Jesus,
and that is true.
But the real power is in the Spirit of Jesus, the Spirit of God.
St. Paul tells us in our first reading
that we have that Spirit.
It was given to us in Baptism.
We were sealed with it in Confirmation.
We are nourished by it when
hear the word of God and receive the Eucharist.
We pray to be open to the Spirit of God
and to grow into the mind of Christ
so that we can be the presence of Christ
here and now.