Last week we saw that after John the Baptist was taken Jesus called Peter, Andrew, James and John. They then moved to Capernaum where Jesus found a house and began his public ministry. He did this by engaging in two closely related actions. He went first to the synagogue to teach and then, while he was there, he performed a deliverance. In telling us this story Mark makes two points about Jesus’ person and mission. First, Jesus teaches and liberates in a new way with great personal authority and power. Then his fame spreads through all the country. In other words, divine revelation is a union of word and deed. The lesson is clear: Jesus’ word is a word of power, an active word that liberates the receptive human spirit. The invitation to each of us today is to open our lives more fully to Jesus’ liberating word and action. Are we ready to allow him to bring God’s work in our lives and the cosmos to glorious completion?