Gospel: September 1, 2026
September 1, 2026 (Tuesday)
22nd Week in Ordinary Time
Psalter: Week 2 (Green)
Ps 145:8-9, 10-11, 12-13ab, 13cd-14
The Lord is just in all his ways.
1st Reading: 1 Corinthians 2:10b-16
The Spirit probes everything, even the depth of God.
Who, but his own spirit, knows the secrets of a person? Similarly, no one, but the Spirit of God, knows the secrets of God. We have not received the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who comes from God and, through him, we understand what God, in his goodness, has given us.
So we speak of this, not in terms inspired by human wisdom, but in a language taught by the Spirit, explaining a spiritual wisdom to spiritual persons. The one who remains on the psychological level does not understand the things of the Spirit. They are foolishness for him; and he does not understand, because they require a spiritual experience. On the other hand, the spiritual person judges everything, but no one judges him. Who has known the mind of God so as to teach him? But we have the mind of Christ.
Gospel: Luke 4:31-37
Jesus went down to Capernaum, a town of Galilee, and began teaching the people at the Sabbath meetings. They
were astonished at the way he taught them, for his word was spoken with authority.
In the synagogue, there was a man possessed by an evil spirit, who shouted in a loud voice, “What do you want with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I recognize you: you are the Holy One of God.” Then Jesus said to him sharply, “Be silent and leave this man!” The evil spirit then threw the man down in front of them, and came out of him without doing him harm.
Amazement seized all these people, and they said to one another, “What does this mean? He commands the evil spirits with authority and power. He orders, and you see how they come out!” And news about Jesus spread throughout the surrounding area.
Reflection:
Authority and power over the evil spirits.
They say that if you want to get to know yourself better, ask your enemies, and they will tell you all your flaws, weaknesses, and shortcomings in detail. Today, the gospel highlights Jesus’ authority and power over the evil spirits, which disclose His identity as the Holy One of God. The evil spirits knew who Jesus was and obeyed when Jesus commanded them to leave.
No matter how evil or bad a person is, he will change when he encounters and comes to know Jesus. If we come to know Jesus and accept His law, we can avoid evil. Likewise, let us not give up on people we consider bad because there is still hope for them to change through Jesus and His word. Let us introduce Jesus to our brothers and sisters who have lost their way so that they can find the truth.
