One of the loveliest places in Galilee is the village of Capernaum. It has a long history, portions of which are not too pleasant, but it was the place that Jesus chose to be His home after He left Nazareth. The village, right on the shore of the Sea of Galilee, has now, even as the ruin of centuries, a beauty all its own.

In Jesus’ time, Capernaum’s buildings were reflected in the water, and the synagogue must have made a prominent reflection, its columns glimmering in the reflecting water. The ruined foundations of that building can still be seen beneath those of the two synagogues that had been built through the centuries to replace it. The restored columns of the most recent building stand in quiet testimony of the former grandeur of that building, and probably of the earlier structures as well.

In these days of Ordinary Time we live out the consequences of the mystery of the Nativity of the Son of God as the Son of Mary. As the Son of God becomes one of us, “like to us in all things but sin”, we begin to see as a consequence of the incarnation, the mystery of Church unfolding more and more and being revealed in Jesus and in His relation to all of us.

Jesus’ reputation blossomed in Galilee, and He was constantly preaching, healing the sick in mind and body. He entered the Capernaum synagogue, and the people were in awe of His authoritative teaching. "What is this?” they asked, “A new teaching with authority.” a teacher to be respected, whose authority was completely authentic.

Jesus simply knew the truth and shared it with the people. Healer of body, mind and soul, He brought peace and comfort with the truth He taught. They could put unquestioning trust in Him. It is no wonder that Jesus’ reputation blossomed. His authority and His compassionate healing drew the crowds to Him. He was constantly calling for those who hear Him to follow Him as He leads all of us to His Father.

In today’s reading from Deuteronomy we hear Moses remind his followers of a prophet like himself whom God will raise up “from among his kin”. In a simple matter of fact statement, Moses tells the people: “To him you shall listen.” The reaction of the people to Jesus’ authoritative teaching certainly suggests that wonderful “listenability” of Jesus. They wanted to listen to Him, and for hours on end they did.

In Paul’s epistle, today, he warns us that we must let nothing distract us from that listening; nothing that would keep us from “adherence to the Lord without distraction.” What Jesus tells us must go to the heart of our lives, to the way we think, the way we act, the way we remember, the way we treat one another in family, neighborhood, community, nation and world. We must react to Him as did the people of Capernaum: “A new teaching with authority.” They see that Jesus’ words have authority even over unclean spirits who must obey Him.

These are the days when the process of choosing major leadership in our country picks up considerable momentum. Aspirants struggle to reach the status of a candidate, and state after state gathers to make their choices known. In caucus and primary, citizens react and make their preference known. Finding the candidate who reminds us of the quiet leadership of Jesus is certainly a worthwhile criterion for judgment. It would seem to be a qualification that can and should be more important than even party affiliation.

If only all who exercise authority, civil or ecclesiastic, might constantly mirror that quiet authenticity of Jesus. If only you and I in our daily lives could follow that model that Jesus offers to everyone. If Jesus’ quiet authority could become the measure of all authority, we would find our world a different place, and Jesus’ fame would spread everywhere – well beyond Galilee - to every corner of the world.

As we go about our own participation in the process of election we must pray that in candidates and electorate we will be able to find the authenticity and wisdom of the leader foretold through so many centuries. May Jesus who is priest, prophet and king enjoy that place in the minds and hearts of all of us that we will share His compassion, His ability to bring healing, and, above all, that peace that is beyond all understanding.

We can all take our places along with the crowds in the lakeside village of Capernaum. We can hear the quiet authority of Jesus as He speaks now through the mystery of His Church, the Son of God present among us. This sad old earth is so much in need; may we always strive to bring the gentle leadership of Jesus to all.

Deuteronomy 18:15-20
Moses spoke to all the people, saying:
"A prophet like me will the LORD, your God, raise up for you
from among your own kin;
to him you shall listen.
This is exactly what you requested of the LORD, your God, at Horeb
on the day of the assembly, when you said,
'Let us not again hear the voice of the LORD, our God,
nor see this great fire any more, lest we die.'
And the LORD said to me, 'This was well said.
I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their kin,
and will put my words into his mouth;
he shall tell them all that I command him.'"
Whoever will not listen to my words which he speaks in my name,
I myself will make him answer for it.
But if a prophet presumes to speak in my name
an oracle that I have not commanded him to speak,
or speaks in the name of other gods, he shall die."

RESPONSORIAL PSALM Ps 95:1-2, 6-7, 7-9

R. (8) If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts.
Come, let us sing joyfully to the LORD;
let us acclaim the rock of our salvation.
Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving;
let us joyfully sing psalms to him. R.
Come, let us bow down in worship;
let us kneel before the LORD who made us.
For he is our God,
and we are the people he shepherds, the flock he guides. R.
Oh, that today you would hear his voice:
"Harden not your hearts as at Meribah,
as in the day of Massah in the desert,
Where your fathers tempted me;
they tested me though they had seen my works." R.

first Letter of Saint Paul to the Corinthians 7:32-35
Brothers and sisters:
I should like you to be free of anxieties.
An unmarried man is anxious about the things of the Lord,
how he may please the Lord.
But a married man is anxious about the things of the world,
how he may please his wife, and he is divided.
An unmarried woman or a virgin is anxious about the things of the Lord,
so that she may be holy in both body and spirit.
A married woman, on the other hand,
is anxious about the things of the world,
how she may please her husband.
I am telling you this for your own benefit,
not to impose a restraint upon you,
but for the sake of propriety
and adherence to the Lord without distraction.

Mark 1:21-28
Then they came to Capernaum,
and on the sabbath Jesus entered the synagogue and taught.
The people were astonished at his teaching,
for he taught them as one having authority and not as the scribes.
In their synagogue was a man with an unclean spirit;
he 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! Come out of him!"
The unclean spirit convulsed him and with a loud cry came out of him.
All were amazed and asked one another,
"What is this?
A new teaching with authority.
He commands even the unclean spirits and they obey him."
His fame spread everywhere throughout the whole region of Galilee.

These are the days when the process of choosing major leadership picks up considerable momentum. Aspirants struggle to reach the status of a candidate, and state after state gathers to make their choices known.

Choice of leadership is a privilege not available to the citizens of many countries and is certainly to be cherished here. Instinctively we look for the individuals who can speak for the good of a community, listen to the needs of the people and enable a country to interact with other nations of the world community.

For us who claim the title of Christian, the wonder of leadership is offered to us in Jesus Christ who is a model for all leaders. Today’s first reading quotes Moses as he foretells the coming of our leader: “"A prophet like me will the LORD, your God, raise up for you from among your own kin; to him you shall listen.” That prophecy is fulfilled in the figure of Jesus, and in baptism each of us has been anointed and commissioned to be like Him as “priest, prophet and king.”

Throughout the Old Testament leadership was vested in priest, prophet and king. In Jesus Christ each of those figures of leadership is fulfilled. In the early days of His ministry, Jesus’ leadership brought great crowds to listen to Him as one having authority “and not as the scribes.”