What is the meaning of an unclean spirit? It is a diabolical possession. This man was possessed by the power of evil. There were then, as there are now, devils, evil spirits, forces of evil, enemies of our human nature at work in the world. There are always those instances of confrontation between the forces of good and the forces of evil. In the Gospel, those in the synagogue are caught in the crossfire of an attack by Satan on Jesus. Jesus, in full view of those gathered in the synagogue, performs an exorcism. Jesus acts directly. He is confident of His authority. Notice that Jesus heals the man by power of His word alone. Jesus rebukes the unclean spirit and that demon comes out of the man. This is a tense and ugly exchange. Notice the shrieks, the cries. This is a frightening scene. We are reminded by the Word of God that forces of evil do exist in our world. Our journey of faith in this world takes us right through a battleground where we can be caught in a deadly attack. Put simply, Satan is out to get us, we who follow Christ. We know this and we must believe it so don’t be surprised if you experience some form of opposition to Jesus today. The reminder is good- to protect us from complacency, to shield us from sleepwalking into situations where we might get hurt. We all have pockets of darkness lingering in our hearts. You might be playing with pornography or cutting ethical corners in business, cheating on expense accounts if not your spouse, piling up this world’s goods instead of doing good works for the poor and disadvantaged. Maybe you’ve refused to forgive someone. Maybe you knowingly chose sin in a tempting situation. Maybe you denigrated a fellow believer who thinks differently than you. The Gospel today serves as a wake-up call. The point is not to frighten you, discourage you. Instead, you again witness the power of Jesus’ Word. At His Word, the demon was driven out. Jesus is at our side to protect us when we turn to Him, ready to speak out in our defense. We can count on Him! It is foolish of us to walk through life mindless of the fact there is an enemy out there intent on getting you and I and just not giving it any thought. The Church has a “Department of Homeland Security” all its own. And you are being served by that department right now. By Word and Sacrament, the Church offers you protection. But you have to listen to the Word and allow it to penetrate your mind and heart if it’s to be effective in your regard. By Sacrament, especially Reconciliation and the Eucharist, the Church fortifies you, inoculates you, against the viruses of evil that move unseen through the world that you and I inhabit. You and I cannot ignore the presence and power of these sacraments in our practice of religion. Let’s be attentive to the lurking dangers and remember the darkness of sin can never overpower the light of Christ.