January 14, 2025

I have heard thunderous commands to keep writing.  Just do it!  There is much more to write, much, much more of many kinds.  Proceed and don’t block the way, I am told.  You may dance in the waves of Spirit. Rest in the light.

How few people these days truly want to take time for prayer and quiet reflection, to hear the words of Spirit and to allow the divine into their minds and their lives.  Let us fan the flames of each small spark of meditation and contemplation.

Mark 1:21-28

When Jesus taught in the synagogue, people were amazed because “he taught them as one having authority and not as the scribes.” He taught with the words of Spirit, the words from his Father, and not just book learning based on written words as the scribes did in all earnestness.  Immediately the people could tell the difference, yet this living authority became threatening to the ones in religious and political authority, the leaders of the synagogues.  How powerful are the living words of Spirit and truth, to challenge those in political authority.

Then Jesus drove out a demonic spirit from a man. The unclean spirit also recognized Jesus as “the Holy One of God.” This exorcism further amazed those present, who saw he had “a new teaching with authority,” and his fame spread everywhere throughout Galilee.  We know now that this unwitting fame, which Jesus did not seek, unsettled the religious authorities, who were powerless to stop the authority of Spirit. The authority of Spirit comes in peace, but the reaction to it can be severe.