Gospel (Lk 4,31-37) - At that time, Jesus went down to Capernaum, a city in Galilee, and on the Sabbath he taught the people. They were amazed at his teaching because his word had authority. In the synagogue there was a man who was possessed by an impure demon; he began to shout loudly: «Enough! What do you want from us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to ruin us? I know who you are: the saint of God! Jesus ordered him sternly: «Shut up! Get out of him! And the devil threw him to the ground among the people and came out of him, without harming him. Everyone was filled with fear and said to one another: "What kind of word is this, which commands with authority and power the impure spirits and they go away?". And his fame spread to every place in the surrounding region.

The commentary on the Gospel by Monsignor Vincenzo Paglia

Jesus, expelled from Nazareth, chooses to stay in Capernaum, a very lively town that becomes "his city". And it is right here, in the city, that he starts preaching again. At a certain moment a man, possessed by an evil spirit, began to shout: «Enough! What do you want from us?". Jesus commanded the evil spirit to leave the man. And he promptly left him. We don't know well what the evangelical narrative meant when it spoke of these spirits; however, they were capable of entering man's life to the point of disturbing his physical and psychological functions. But if we think about the distortions, the anxieties that often manifest themselves among the people of our cities, I believe we can come closer to understanding this Gospel passage. The evil spirits of which the Gospel speaks, in fact, are not strange, unknown spirits; we know them well and perhaps they are a little present in all of us too. It is about the spirit of indifference, of slander, of selfishness; of the fear of being put aside, of the spirit of prevarication over others, of the spirit of distrust, of the spirit of hatred and of small or large revenge. And how many other "bad", unclean spirits roam among us and ruin our lives and relationships with others. But there is a fundamental question: the presence of evil in the lives of men requires the conversion of the heart. It is through it that all evil is banished and evil spirits are put to flight. If we ask ourselves how to chase away these unclean spirits, simply some medicine or therapy is not enough. There is a need for God's limitless love that no one can resist. Jesus gives his disciples the extraordinary power of love which even unclean spirits obey.