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| “Exorcism at Gerasenes” by James Tissot, c. 1890’s |
What more shall I say?
I have not time to tell of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah,
of David and Samuel and the prophets,
who by faith conquered kingdoms,
did what was righteous, obtained the promises;
they closed the mouths of lions, put out raging fires,
escaped the devouring sword;
out of weakness they were made powerful, became strong in battle,
and turned back foreign invaders.
Women received back their dead through resurrection.
Some were tortured and would not accept deliverance,
in order to obtain a better resurrection.
Others endured mockery, scourging, even chains and imprisonment.
They were stoned, sawed in two, put to death at sword’s point;
they went about in skins of sheep or goats,
needy, afflicted, tormented.
The world was not worthy of them.
They wandered about in deserts and on mountains,
in caves and in crevices in the earth.
Yet all these, though approved because of their faith,
did not receive what had been promised.
God had foreseen something better for us,
so that without us they should not be made perfect.
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Commentary on Heb 11:32-40
CCC: Heb 11:39 147; Heb 11:40 147
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Responsorial Psalm: Ps 31:20, 21, 22, 23, 24
How great is the goodness, O LORD,
which you have in store for those who fear you,
And which, toward those who take refuge in you,
you show in the sight of the children of men.
R. Let your hearts take comfort, all who hope in the Lord.
You hide them in the shelter of your presence
from the plottings of men;
You screen them within your abode
from the strife of tongues.
R. Let your hearts take comfort, all who hope in the Lord.
Blessed be the LORD whose wondrous mercy
he has shown me in a fortified city.
R. Let your hearts take comfort, all who hope in the Lord.
Once I said in my anguish,
“I am cut off from your sight”;
Yet you heard the sound of my pleading
when I cried out to you.
R. Let your hearts take comfort, all who hope in the Lord.
Love the LORD, all you his faithful ones!
The LORD keeps those who are constant,
but more than requites those who act proudly.
R. Let your hearts take comfort, all who hope in the Lord.
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Commentary on Ps 31:20, 21, 22, 23, 24
Gospel: Mark 5:1-20
to the territory of the Gerasenes.
When he got out of the boat,
at once a man from the tombs who had an unclean spirit met him.
The man had been dwelling among the tombs,
and no one could restrain him any longer, even with a chain.
In fact, he had frequently been bound with shackles and chains,
but the chains had been pulled apart by him and the shackles smashed,
and no one was strong enough to subdue him.
Night and day among the tombs and on the hillsides
he was always crying out and bruising himself with stones.
Catching sight of Jesus from a distance,
he ran up and prostrated himself before him,
crying out in a loud voice,
“What have you to do with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God?
I adjure you by God, do not torment me!”
(He had been saying to him, “Unclean spirit, come out of the man!”)
He asked him, “What is your name?”
He replied, “Legion is my name. There are many of us.”
And he pleaded earnestly with him
not to drive them away from that territory.
Now a large herd of swine was feeding there on the hillside.
And they pleaded with him,
“Send us into the swine. Let us enter them.”
And he let them, and the unclean spirits came out and entered the swine.
The herd of about two thousand rushed down a steep bank into the sea,
where they were drowned.
The swineherds ran away and reported the incident in the town
and throughout the countryside.
And people came out to see what had happened.
As they approached Jesus,
they caught sight of the man who had been possessed by Legion,
sitting there clothed and in his right mind.
And they were seized with fear.
Those who witnessed the incident explained to them what had happened
to the possessed man and to the swine.
Then they began to beg him to leave their district.
As he was getting into the boat,
the man who had been possessed pleaded to remain with him.
But Jesus would not permit him but told him instead,
“Go home to your family and announce to them
all that the Lord in his pity has done for you.”
Then the man went off and began to proclaim in the Decapolis
what Jesus had done for him; and all were amazed.
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Commentary on Mk 5:1-20
Reflection:
The message we can take from this incident, in addition to a reminder of the threat Satan constantly poses, is that, what God, in his mercy [pity], does for us, he does out of his great love for us. We do not earn his mercy or his salvation; it is given to us because God has a special love for us. It is our inoculation against Satan. We can think of it as we think of what a good parent does for his or her child. What right do children have to expect all of the good things parents give them? What effort on the part of children causes the parent to lavish their love upon them? It is not some merit in the child that causes or entitles the child to this love; rather it is the natural love the parent feels for the life that they, with God’s help and grace, brought into the world.
We have seen children try to do things that please their loving parents. They are eager to please them, especially when they are young. Do we not act the same way toward God our Father? Are we not anxious to act in ways that we feel should make that heavenly parent happy? But think of the reward God promises. It is not an allowance or a special treat, it is the grace and peace of Christ; it is the resurrection on the last day. There is nothing we as human beings could do to make ourselves worthy of so great a prize.
Today let us give thanks to God the loving Father, who, through his great love for us, gave his only Son so that we, who are totally unworthy, might enjoy an eternity with him. We also pledge to take to heart the prayer to St. Michael the Archangel which asks for God’s defense against Satan. Indeed, we must believe there is a war and we are both part of it and the enemy’s goal.
Pax
[1] The picture is “Exorcism at Gerasenes” by James Tissot, c. 1890’s.
[2] S.S. Commemoratio
[3] The readings are taken from the New American Bible, with the exception of the psalm and its response which were developed by the International Committee for English in Liturgy (ICEL). This republication is not authorized by USCCB and is for private use only.
[4] Hebrews, by Mary Healy © 2016, Baker Academic, Grand Rapids MI, p.255.
[5] Ignatius Catholic Study Bible, © 2010, Ignatius Press, San Francisco, CA, p.74.
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