R. Alleluia, alleluia.
The people who sit in darkness have seen a great light;
on those dwelling in a land overshadowed by death,
light has arisen.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

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.

The evil eye (the mal’occhio in Italian) – have you heard of it? It’s been around for quite a while, this evil eye, the mal’occh… Members of my family talked about it. One story I remember is of a neighbor who came to call on the home of one of my relatives who had just had a baby. The neighbor said to the mother of the child, “Que bella figlia di mamma!” – “What a beautiful daughter of this mom!” But when that neighbor left the home, all of a sudden, the mother got an extremely severe headache. She didn’t know why she had this headache, except to say that the neighbor who visited must have “put the evil eye – the mal’occh – on her…” The neighbor must have been terribly jealous because her newborn daughter was so beautiful.

In Youngstown, from time to time, I see a person who’s wearing a corniche as they call it, which is a piece of jewelry that is made to look like a pepper corn, made of silver, gold, or coral, usually placed around the neck of the wearer. It is worn to ward off the mal’occh. And in the Youngstown area at least a generation ago, some people were “experts” in breaking its curse (They used water and oil as part of their ritual). I once knew a priest in our area who often would tell me that Italians are superstitious in the wearing of the corniche. I would defend the Italians, saying, “It’s just a good luck charm to ward off evil and no real harm is intended by wearing it.” What do you think?

This much I know: we live immersed in a world of people that can be very jealous and very envious and in fact wish evil on the person they are jealous of. This much I know: people can be literally obsessed in inflicting harm, hurt, and damage upon others. This much I know: obsession in doing evil is a threshold to possession by the Evil One – The Devil himself.

Today’s Gospel: “A man with an unclean spirit … 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!’ And Jesus said, ‘Quiet! Come out of him!’ The unclean spirit convulsed him, and with a loud cry, came out of him. Those that saw this were amazed that Jesus had authority over demons.”

Once a family from out of town approached me as a priest saying that their family member was possessed and asked if I would do an exorcism over this family member. They literally harassed me. I visited the home and blessed the home and the person who was claiming to be possessed by the Devil. It was not fun to say the least! And then I found out that the so-called possessed person hadn’t been to Confession for years, missed Mass often, and did not receive Holy Communion. I said to this person, “You’re not doing the essentials that the Church as our mother teaches us so well. No wonder you’ve got a problem!”

In this day and age, our life message should be this: the sacraments – especially Confession – keep the evil eye far away from us. And our sacramentals: the holy water that we promote to take home, the crucifix placed on your home’s wall, the beautiful blessing for your home that we promote each Epiphany (Together, we distributed over 1,200 blessings in this parish in 2024 by the way!), the wearing of the Cross on your person – these are certainly better than the corniche!

The truth is: have a true, deep faith, and live in the authority of Jesus, Who has power over Satan himself. I was happy to hear the other day a grandmother telling me that her young grandson Face-timed her just so she could hear him pray the Our Father. How awesome! And let us pray, O Heavenly Father, Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from the Evil One.

Monsignor Michael J. Cariglio, Jr., Pastor & Rector, Our Lady of Mount Carmel Basilica – Saint Anthony Parish

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.'”

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. If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts.
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. If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts.
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. If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts.

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.

It has long been a Catholic understanding that when circumstances prevent one from receiving Holy Communion, it is possible to make an Act of Spiritual Communion, which is a source of grace. Spiritual Communion is an ardent desire to receive Jesus in the Most Holy Sacrament and lovingly embrace him at a time or in circumstances when one cannot receive Him in sacramental Communion. The most common reason for making an Act of Spiritual Communion is when a person cannot attend Mass. Acts of Spiritual Communion increase our desire to receive sacramental Communion and help us avoid the sins that would make us unable to receive Holy Communion worthily.

Spiritual Communion Prayer

My Jesus, I believe that you are present in the Most Holy Sacrament.

I love you above all things and I desire to receive you in my soul.

Since I cannot at this moment receive you sacramentally,

Come at least spiritually into my heart.

I embrace you as if you were already there

And unite myself wholly to you.

Never permit me to be separated from you.

Amen.