ATTAINING DOMINION THROUGH OBEDIENCE

TUESDAY, FIRST WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME

Heb 2:5-12; Ps 8:2,5-9; Mk 1:21-28

God placed all Things under Man’s Care

Scriptures make us understand that it was the will of the Father to place all his creatures under the dominion of man he made in his image. The divine will was expressed in Genesis when he created Adam and Eve and put them in charge of his creation as stewards. Man's role as steward of God’s creation would attain perfect ion when he is made like God. The disruption caused by the original sin of Adam and Eve affected their relationship with God, and the divine project on man was halted. Man could not exercise his role as the steward of God’s creation well because he deviated from God’s will and could not be made in the likeness of God as God intended. Though the rational nature of man still kept him at the top of God’s material creation, the dominion God intended for man to have over all his creation was not attained yet. The devil and the fallen angels usurped man’s dominion through sin, by which they enslaved him.

The mystery of human salvation in Jesus Christ is the divine plan for the restoration of the original dominion of man over all creation. The restored world or the kingdom of God announced by Jesus Christ to be close at hand is what Hebrews talks about. “God did not appoint angels to be rulers of the world to come, and that world is what we are talking about.” It quotes from the Psalmist to show that man’s dominion over all things is the original plan of God. “Somewhere there is a passage that shows us this. It runs: What is man that you should spare a thought for him, the son of man that you should care for him? For a short while you made him lower than the angels; you crowned him with glory and splendour. You have put him in command of everything.” Further, to show that the Incarnation of the Son of God is to establish God’s desired dominion of man over his creatures, the author continues: “At present, it is true, we are not able to see that everything has been put under his command, but we do see in Jesus one who was for a short while made lower than the angels and is now crowned with glory and splendour because he submitted to death; by God’s grace he had to experience death for all mankind.” The fall brought the death sentence upon us, and accepting and serving it wholeheartedly in obedience to God re-establishes us in God’s good favour. The mystery signified by water as a witness contains this plan of entering the new world through death.

The Eternal Word, in his human nature, is our leader and guide, he teaches us by his consecration to the Father and also consecrates us by his life, death, and resurrection. “As it was his purpose to bring a great many of his sons into glory, it was appropriate that God, for whom everything exists and through whom everything exists, should make perfect, through suffering, the leader who would take them to their salvation.”  By sharing in our human nature, he consecrates us through consecrating the human nature to the Father in obedience. The suffering clause became necessary because of sin which entered human nature and disoriented it from God. The Leader suffers to bring our fallen human nature back to God and atones for our sins against God’s infinite goodness. Hebrews writes about this: “For the one who sanctifies, and the ones who are sanctified, are of the same stock.” Therefore, the authority that the Son of Man exercised in the Gospel over unclean spirits who are usurpers of our dominion is our common heritage in Jesus Christ through faith in his divinity. “What do you want with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are: the Holy One of God.’ But Jesus said sharply, ‘Be quiet! Come out of him!’ And the unclean spirit threw the man into convulsions and with a loud cry went out of him.” As Hebrews states, the authority of Christ is not yet apparent in us because we are yet to learn obedience through death to self. It will gradually be as we follow him daily, carrying our crosses in faith.

Let us pray: Grant us, Lord, in your infinite mercy and compassion, the grace to pay steady attention to the lessons the Son of Man teaches us invisibly through visible signs in our lives daily, that we may faithfully follow him through mysteries to his glory in heaven. Through Our Lord Jesus Christ your Son who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and ever.