From now until Advent the Gospel reading are taken from Luke. After Jesus’ mission is rejected in his home town of Nazareth, he moves the center of his work to Capernaum, a fishing town on the Sea of Galilee. Here he confronts the presence of evil which plagues the community. The “unclean demon” he drives out says, “I know who you are–the Holy One of God!” How ironic — the demons know who Jesus is but the people who admire his “teaching with authority” don’t. That serves as a warning to us — knowing who Jesus is does not suffice for faith. An unclean demon could recite the catechism. For faith we need to move beyond knowing about Jesus to knowing and loving him as a friend.
