Servant of the Word: Monday of the Fourth Week in Ordinary Time

“Christ Encounters ‘Legion"
Artist and Date are UNKNOWN

Readings for Monday of the Fourth Week in Ordinary Time[1][2]

Commentary:

Reading I: 2 Samuel 15:13-14, 30; 16:5-13a

Commentary on 2 Sm 15:13-14, 30; 16:5-13a

Recall that Nathan had said that the Lord would put enmity in the House of David for the sins of murder and adultery the king had committed when he took Bathsheba (2 Samuel 12:8-12). Following this prediction, the child born to David and Bathsheba died, in spite of David’s contrite attempt to convince God to spare it. In addition, David’s eldest son Amnon was killed by another son Absalom after he (Amnon) had raped Absalom’s sister and then further dishonored her by casting her out.

These actions ultimately led to the situation we hear about in this passage. King David goes to the Mount of Olives, once more to beg for God’s mercy. Even though God has promised that David himself will not be killed, nothing good will come of this, and David is humiliated even further as he goes on his penitential pilgrimage.

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Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 3:2-3, 4-5, 6-7

R. (8a) Lord, rise up and save me.

Commentary on Ps 3:2-3, 4-5, 6-7

Psalm 3 is a lament, singing of the plight of one attacked and oppressed by enemies on all sides. These Strophes are clearly an echo of King David’s sorrow, as all that the Lord has given to him seems to be at risk with no sign that God will come to his aid. In spite of this apparent abandonment, the singer has faith that God will continue to defend his servant.

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Gospel: Mark 5:1-20

Commentary on Mk 5:1-20

This is St. Mark’s version of Jesus casting out the multitude of demons and sending them into the herd of swine. Swine [pigs] are considered unclean animals under Hebrew dietary laws (Leviticus 11:7-8. This action not only reinforces Jesus’ universal mission, but adds a dimension of symbolism. It is important to note that this is a pagan region, so what the Lord is doing in helping the man with unclean spirits is ministering to non-Hebrews, indicating the breadth of his mission. Also in this story, the demon addresses him as “Jesus, Son of the Most High God,” a title that identifies him clearly and without equivocation as the Messiah.

“Allegorically (St. Bede, In Marcum): the demoniac represents the Gentile nations saved by Christ. As pagans, they once lived apart from God amid the tombs of dead works, while their sins were performed in service of demons. Through Christ the pagans are at last cleansed and freed from Satan’s domination.”[4]

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Reflection:

Those of us who are not mystics (which means probably most of us these days) may have some belief issues with the story of Jesus casting out the unclean spirits described in the Gospel of St. Mark. Did Jesus really cast out these unclean spirits and cause them to go into swine? From a purely logical perspective, we see the message from the Gospel in the following way:

First, we understand, as St. Mark did, that Jesus has authority over all of God’s creation. This authority is constantly being contested by the evil one who himself was cast out of God’s presence. If we believe that God’s essence manifests itself as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit; can we not also believe that God’s greatest foe would not also have a spirit of evil that could find entry into the soul of humankind?

When Jesus encounters these manifestations, as he does in this fifth chapter of St. Mark’s Gospel, he recognizes it for what it is. The man “…had been dwelling among the tombs,” in other words, living among the dead and completely out of touch with humanity. The encounter between this man and Jesus must have seemed surreal to the pagans who inhabited this region. As we have seen time and again, evil recognizes good. The spirit of evil recognizes its foe announcing: “’What have you to do with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God?’” Seeing the essence of what he faced, Jesus commanded the spirit of evil to leave its human host. The evil responds: “Swear by God you will not torture me!” (from the Jerusalem Bible translation)

The next part of the exchange has its roots in ancient lore. It is presumed from ancient times that in order for one person to have authority over another person or thing they must use the proper name for that individual or item. We see this from the earliest biblical references, as God gives man authority to name all of his earthly creation (Genesis 2:19-20) but withholds any name for himself (Exodus 3:13-14). The implication is that man may not command God. In this instance Jesus asks for the name of the unclean spirit to which he receives the reply: “Legion is my name. There are many of us.”

The formula is established, Jesus knows the name of the unclean spirits, and that fact is recognized as the spirit pleads with Jesus not to destroy them outright. The spirits ask that they be sent into the swine that are there. For the Jewish reader, to whom swine are considered “unclean,” this would make sense, unclean spirits being sent into unclean animals, reinforcing Mosaic Law. Clearly even the lowly hogs could not stand their presence, since we are told the rushed into the sea and were drowned.

We’ve spent a lot of time dissecting the incident in Gerasene. So, what is the lesson there for us? First we must come to grips with the notion that there is a spirit of evil that is ready to move into us as soon as we let our guard down. Second the only protection we have against such attacks is the one who has authority over them, Jesus. We must have him thoroughly installed so that when we encounter that spirit of evil we can recognize it instantly, and it will of course recognize Jesus, Son of the Most High God, in us.

Our prayer today is that we may grow in faith and love of God to a point where we have the ability to resist evil in all its forms. We also pray for those who have succumbed to that force and ask that they find the Lord who will wash away all evil.

Pax

[1] S.S. Commemoratio

[2] The picture is “Christ Encounters ‘Legion’”, Artist and Date are UNKNOWN