Gospel of Mark 5:1-20
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.
Throwing stones When I was in college, a popular slogan read: "Boys are stupid. Throw rocks at them!" I thought the slogan was hilarious. My girlfriend and I still joke about it today. These words were marketed into post cards, key chains and even t-shirts causing much controversy. Women loved it. Men thought of it as sexist and demeaning. I can't help but think of this slogan as we read in 2 Samuel about Shimei cursing and throwing stones at King David. Shimei was a member of Saul's family and harbored a lot of rage. He called David a murderous and wicked man. David's guards could have killed Shimei, the "dead dog" of a man. Yet, David allowed the abuse to continue. The Lord has told him to curse David. I think David felt guilty and remorseful. He saw his reign in jeopardy since the people transferred their loyalty to Absalom. Was God tormenting David's conscience in the form of cursing and stone throwing? Was this a form of penance?
Pigs Beware Parallel the scripture reading from 2 Samuel with the Gospel of Mark. Legion, with many other demons, possesses a man into walking around the tombs crying loudly and bruising himself with stones. Clearly this behavior upsets everyone. Jesus comes to the rescue commanding the demon to leave the poor man and enter the heard of swine. The swine eventually drown themselves. Jesus cleansed the man and ended his possession.
Stones kill and stones heal. Which one do you choose? Do you want to throw a stone in hatred or mine a stone turning it into a beautiful gem?
I can't help but feel sorry for the innocent swine who drowned to death. I often wonder what the farmer thought about Jesus' action. Was he angry his herd died or was he relieved the crazy man in the tombs was no longer possessed? The demon Legion recognized Jesus as Son of the Most High God. In fact, demons throughout Jesus' ministry were the first to recognize his relationship to God. How come demons understood who Jesus was but so many people didn't? Satan knew he was up against a strong healing force, Jesus Christ. He along with his demons tortured people but Jesus was there to save them. Satan's stones killed. Jesus' stones healed.
Many times in our lives we may feel like throwing stones at people we despise. Maybe even rolling a big boulder over them! Personally, in times of irritation I feel like throwing cyber stones at people who write nasty anonymous comments on blogs. Something about the anonymity of the Internet allows people to act like real jerks. These "swine" make the virtual web uncomfortable and hostile.
Jesus, the Blogger What if Jesus was a blogger? He may write a detail account of the possessed man and his interaction with demons. Hmmm, what would the comments look like? How would people respond on Facebook, Twitter, and other social media?
- Animal rights activists would be critical of Jesus believing he dealt in "pig abuse." A poster campaign against him would begin immediately through Facebook.
- Satanists would post hate comments and tweets. A campaign would begin to erect a memorial statue in honor of Legion and companions.
- Neighbors would politely thank Jesus for making their neighborhood peaceful again. A new set of city "noise control" ordinances would prevent future displays of loud crying, especially late at night.
- Funeral home and cemetery directors would post nice comments. Finally the dead can rest at peace without a crazy man desecrating tombstones and making a mess.
- Footage of the exorcism would be posted on YouTube for viewing. The video would go viral!
We all struggle with our inner demons. This is why it's important to turn to Our Lord for comfort and healing. Immerse ourselves in prayer and the Sacraments.
-J.
No comments:
Post a Comment