Wednesday of the Thirteenth Week of Ordinary Time

Today's Mass Readings

I can never figure out, for the life of me, why the demons requested being sent into the swine. They know that Jesus is the Son of God and that He can defeat them. Why do they ask for the swine? Maybe being sent to the pigs was a step above being sent back to Hell! I have no idea.

The truth is that this is one of the Gospel passages clothed with ambiguity. We can learn to rely on Jesus to drive out the demons in our own lives. There are some interior problems or ailments we can’t cure by good action or discipline. We have to turn to God and pray for deliverance from these things. As Amos tells Israel, it is not enough to make offerings to God. Religious observance is important always. We must supplement it with justice. We must seek justice to do what is right.

The psalmist says it so beautifully; “to the upright I will show the saving power of God” (Psalm 50.23). God calls us to be upright. Truthfully this means more than being nice or kind. We are called to step out of line to call out injustice, to speak and act as Christians in all things. We see so much injustice in today’s World. There is so much division. Even monks feel the effect of everything that is happening. We Christians are called to walk into the fray. Going along to get along isn’t good enough for anyone who follows Jesus. I give thanks to God for the holy example of so many saints, such as St. Oscar Romero standing up to the regime in El Salvador, St. John Paul II fighting for the freedom of his fellow countrymen in Poland, and Mother Teresa taking on the poverty and hardship facing the poor in Calcutta and beyond.

Before we help others, we have to set our own house in order. Often times we have unhealed wounds inside us that need healing, and these hinder us from helping others if they go unchecked. Jesus exorcised the man possessed by Legion. This put Him in the position of having to leave the area because when the swine drowned their owners made complaints against Him. The local people implored Jesus and the disciples to leave. Jesus is the Divine Physician. He is always willing to help us and heal our souls if we turn to Him. Peter Kreeft would say that sometimes we just need Doctor God. Once we have been healed inside and out, we can then help others as best we can.

Question: So, are there wounds in your soul that still need healing? What pain or demon in your life needs to be thrown to the swine? Also, are you ready to help others? In this time of great division are you willing to help others as best you can?

Reflection by Br. Matthew Marie, OSB