Title: Meditation: Monday, February 4, 2002
The Catholic Calendar for Monday, February 4, 2002
Scripture from today's Liturgy of the Word:
2 Samuel 15:13-14,30;16:5-13
Psalm 3:2-7
Mark 5:1-20
A Reflection on Today's Scripture:
"Go home to thy relatives and tell them all that the Lord has done for
thee, and how he has had mercy on thee." (Mark 5:19)
This week's Gospel is particularly interesting since it deals with a
reality many do not accept today: demonic possession. Yet, the Church,
on rare occasions, does employ the rite of exorcism to free some
unfortunate soul from this affliction. Evil does pervade this world
because of man's preponderance toward sin. We have only two choices in
life: to follow God or "the evil one." If we are not filled with God's
life, we are prone to become slaves to Satan.
Primarily, our Gospel message affirms God's absolute power over the
forces of evil that are continually trying to take hold of and destroy
human lives. Jesus demonstrates His ability to free us from all that
separates us from God; and in doing so, He makes it possible for us to
live in unity and peace with God and one another.
That the swine (considered unclean animals by the Israelites) all
perished when Jesus gave the demons permission to enter them, shows that
evil is a self-destructive force that God wills to be hurled back into
hell from whence it came. The townspeople's fear, narrow self-interest
and blindness to their further need for Christ's healing caused them to
banish Him from their midst.
But God never "writes people off" so easily. It was an act of mercy on
Jesus' part to leave behind the healed man to witness to the wonders God
had done for one who was open to receive Him.
Blessed Lord,
remove from us all uncleanliness
and open our minds and hearts
to receive the gift of Your kingdom. Amen
- Marie L. Bocko, ocds ([EMAIL PROTECTED])
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All scripture quotes are from the Douay-Rheims edition of the Catholic Bible.
Full text from the New American Bible: http://www.nccbuscc.org/nab/index.htm
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