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Master·evangeli.net

Today's Gospel + short theological explanation

Tuesday of the First Week in Ordinary Time
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Gospel text (Mk 1:21-28): Jesus came to Capernaum with his followers, and on the Sabbath he entered the synagogue and taught (…). A man with an unclean spirit cried out, “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, “Quiet! (…)."

Who is God? God has a name!

EDITORIAL TEAM evangeli.net (based on texts by Benedict XVI) (Città del Vaticano, Vatican)

Today, we attend to the most shocking scene: the devil claims he knows who Jesus is. Even more so: he admits the Holiness of God! Christ silences him... And we, could we say who God is? When Moses asked him his name God said: "I am who I am". And the Son incarnated took the name of "Jesus of Nazareth". Who has no name is the Devil: he is, simply, "legion".

God has a name, and God calls us by our name. He is a person, and He seeks the person. He has a face, and He seeks our face. He has a heart, and He seeks our heart. For Him, we are not some function in the world machinery. A name allows us to be addressed. A name denotes community. This is why Christ is the true Moses, the fulfillment of the revelation of God’s name.

—Jesus, you do not bring some "new word" as God’s name: You, yourself, are the face of God. Thanks to You we can address God as "You", as person, as heart.