4th Week in OT 2019 - Monday - Jesus and the demon-possessed Gerasene

To this day, numerous caves dot the shoreline of the east side of the sea of Galilee in the territory of the Gerasenes.  Even in daylight this would have been an eerie place to be sailing by, for many of the caves were used to bury the dead.  In Jesus’ time, the caves were popularly regarded as a favorite haunt of demons.

As Jesus steps ashore, he is immediately challenged by the demonic powers that seem to hold sway in the area, as if guarding their territorial rights. The moment Jesus sets foot on land, a demon-possessed man emerges from the tombs, wild-eyed, shouting, and bearing marks of self-muti
lation. Unclean spirits have taken over his personality resulting in a life of unbearable torment and alienation. Unable to function in human society, he lives among the tombs, the realm of the dead. This is a picture of what the devil wants for mankind—slavery to the tyranny of evil, not only on this earth, but for all eternity.

Because of original sin, Satan has acquired a certain domination over all human beings; in all of us the image of God is defaced to some degree.  Unholy desires to rebel against God, to forsake the use of reason, to violate our human dignity through sin, tempt each one of us.

Upon seeing this poor soul, Jesus shows his decisive and complete power over the forces of evil.  In the previous passage, Jesus calmed the winds of the storm—over the power of destruction in nature—with a single word. Now this story illustrates Jesus’ power over the forces of destruction within the human person.

Those forces still exist in us—those tendencies towards alienation and selfishness and self-pity. But through Baptism and the Sacraments and the life of prayer and charity we are brought into a new relationship with God, who works through our faith and the faith of the Church to bring deliverance from evil.

We pray today, that in our communion with the Lord, he will step into the territory of our hearts and expel those destructive powers in us, free us from the shackles and chains of sin, that we may live in perfect love towards God and our neighbor, for the glory of God and the salvation of souls.
 
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That the preaching and teachings of the Pope, Bishops, and clergy may be a source of strength and guidance for the Holy Church.
That those in civic authority may submit their minds and hearts to the rule of Christ, the Prince of Peace and Hope of the nations.
For the liberation of those bound by evil, those committed to sin an error, those oppressed or possessed by evil spirits, and for the conversion of the hardest hearts.
For all the needs of the sick and the suffering, the homebound, those in nursing homes and hospitals, the underemployed and unemployed, immigrants and refugees, victims of natural disaster, war, and terrorism, for all those who grieve the loss of a loved one, and those who will die today, for their comfort, and the consolation of their families.
For all who have died, and for all the poor souls in purgatory, and for X. for whom this Mass is offered.
Incline your merciful ear to our prayers, we ask, O Lord, and listen in kindness to the supplications of those who call on you. Through Christ our Lord

1st Week of OT 2019 - Tuesday - Binding Evil Spirits and Liberating Captives

On the first weekday of Ordinary Time yesterday, we heard the call of the disciples.  Jesus’ call of his first followers is followed by his first miraculous work in Mark’s Gospel: an exorcism—reminding us that Christ has come to do battle with Satan, to dismantle the powers of darkness, and to unbind those who are bound by evil.

This whole drama takes place while Jesus is teaching in a synagogue. And this demon begins to disrupt Jesus, the works of the devil disrupt, hinder, thwart the work of God. The demon is called an “unclean spirit”. Why are they called “unclean”? “Unclean” is an Old Testament term for a person or thing that is ritually defiled and therefore prohibited from taking part in worship. A demon is an angel that has been cast out of heaven due to its refusal to worship God. And the unclean spirits seek to separate us eternally from the worship of God as well.

“I know who you are–the Holy One of God!” The unclean spirit claims hidden knowledge of Jesus’ identity, a frequent tactic of the demons in the Gospel. But if it intends to catch Jesus off guard, or to gain some control over him, their attempt is futile. For Christ commands them ”Quiet!, phimōthēti” one of the coolest Greek words, literally, “be muzzled”. Imagine leather straps binding, muzzling, the mouth of an ox. Having been muzzled, the unclean spirit shows one last act of defiance by convulsing the man, but helpless before Jesus’ word of command, the demon departs.

Day two of Ordinary Time, and we get a glimpse of the battlefield. Jesus has come to drive out the unclean from our lives, all that defiles human dignity and to restore us to the right worship of God, that we may worship and live “in spirit and in truth”. We do well to study God’s word and study  our catechism: so much uncleanness is cast out when we are exposed to and believe God’s truth. And most likely the undisciplined parts of our egos need to be muzzled, in order to be brought under the direction of the Holy Spirit.

The Lord also desire to use us as his instruments for binding evil in the world, for setting captives free. May we be ambassadors of his truth, his goodness, his power, and his love today for all we meet, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.
 
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That the preaching and teachings of the Pope, Bishops, and clergy may be a source of strength and guidance for the Holy Church.

That those in civic authority may submit their minds and hearts to the rule of Christ, the Prince of Peace and Hope of the nations.

For the liberation of those bound by evil, those committed to sin an error, those oppressed or possessed by evil spirits, and for the conversion of the hardest hearts.

That the March for Life in Washington D.C. this Friday will help to transform our culture and inspire many to adhere to the Gospel of Life.

For all the needs of the sick and the suffering, the homebound, those in nursing homes and hospitals, the underemployed and unemployed, immigrants and refugees, victims of natural disaster, war, and terrorism, for all those who grieve the loss of a loved one, and those who will die today, for their comfort, and the consolation of their families.

For all who have died, and for all the poor souls in purgatory, and for X. for whom this Mass is offered.

Incline your merciful ear to our prayers, we ask, O Lord, and listen in kindness to the supplications of those who call on you. Through Christ our Lord

Tuesday - 22nd Week of OT 2017 - Miracles happen through encountering Christ

At last night’s Vespers Service at the Cathedral proceeding today’s installation, Bishop Perez spoke about how miracles occur when we encounter Christ—how Jesus met people where they were and confronted them with the power of His Truth. How each of us could speak of a time in our life, when Christ became real for us, and how that changed our life forever.

Jesus’ miracle working is perfectly on display in this morning’s Gospel: the man, afflicted with unclean spirits is cleansed through an encounter with Christ.

In Jesus’ culture, the unclean ones were to be avoided, shunned, lest they spread their corruption, their insanity, their demons. But Jesus goes to even to the unclean, and through His authority and power as God, cleanses them in his mercy.

Several lessons become clear from this Gospel. One: there is no soul so unclean, that it is not invited to encounter the mercy of God through Jesus Christ. This is a simple and profound truth that we reflected upon quite thoroughly during the Year of Mercy. Yet it is a truth that we need to repeat especially to troubled souls who are deeply afflicted by the severity of their sins and demons.

Two, as the demons were expelled, they came out of the man without hurting him. Turning our lives over to Jesus does not hurt as much as we think it will. Conversion involve a cross, but the end result of being cleansed of demons, brings a lightness, a wholeness, and a joy that outweighs the demonic slavery. We should not fear conversion.

Three, the Church is both sent and equipped for the ministry of casting out the unclean spirits of our world. Jesus cast out demons through his power and authority, and not only is that power and authority given to the Church, but the Lord sends us out to use it, to help souls encounter Christ by sharing with them the power of his Truth, will help set souls free. We must not fear new faces nor new places in spreading the mercy of Christ.

May the Lord open our minds and hearts to the power and authority of his mercy. May we reject those interests that lead us away from communion with Him and may he renew our minds and revive our love and commitment to His Gospel, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

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For Bishop Nelson Perez, on this, the day of his installation as 11th Bishop of Cleveland, may he be preserved always in His ministry and aided by the Holy Spirit in uniting and shepherding the diverse peoples of this diocese in Catholic faith, hope, and love.

For all those afflicted with demons, those who are overwhelmed with the Spirit of the World, that, through the ministry of the Church, they may know the cleansing power and mercy of Christ.

For Pope Francis’ prayer intention for the month of September: “That our parishes, animated by a missionary spirit, may be places where faith is communicated and charity is seen.” We pray to the Lord.

For the sick and afflicted, the homebound, those in nursing homes and hospitals, for victims of natural disaster and inclement weather, especially the people of Houston Texas, those who suffer from war, violence, and terrorism, for the mentally ill, those with addictions, and the imprisoned, for those who struggle to live the call of Christian chastity, for the comfort of the dying and the consolation of their families.

For the deceased members of our families, friends, and parish and all the poor souls in purgatory, for deceased priests and religious, and for those who have fought and died for our freedom. We pray.

Incline your merciful ear to our prayers, we ask, O Lord, and listen in kindness to the supplications of those who call on you. Through Christ our Lord.