Homily Thirteenth Wednesday of Ordinary Time (Mt. 8:28-34) “Jesus Chases Evil Away”
Homily Thirteenth Wednesday of Ordinary Time (Mt. 8:28-34) “Jesus Chases Evil Away”
Modern people have a hard time believing in demons and possession. Many of the illnesses that Jesus provided cures for in the Gospel we would equate with psychological illness today. When someone is delusional, we do not think that they have been overcome by evil spirits. We know that there is a chemical imbalance in the brain or some other problem.
All of our sophistication and knowledge can lead us to dismiss Satan as a fairy tale, but if we do, we are making a dangerous mistake. C.S. Lewis wrote a book once called the Screwtape Letters. In this book, the devil, describes how he tries to tempt humanity. At one point he says that one of the best things that can happen is for a person to deny his existence because he then can have his way.
Scott Peck wrote a book that people are not too familiar with called The People of the Lie. Peck was a psychologist who dealt with many different mentally ill people. Peck came to believe that Satan was real. He saw how some people just gave into evil in their lives. He mused that word evil spelled backward was live. The evil one (the devil) is that force in the universe that wants to give up on life.
I remember once, visiting a woman, in her home. The poor lady was petrified of everything. She had all the drapes drawn. She laid on her bed refusing to move. The windows were all shut. The woman was afraid of life. As we conversed, she was negative about everything. As I stood in her dank, dark house I had a sense of some evil force at work.
Jesus contended with this same force when he met the men in the gospel. The two men who were possessed were separated from their loved ones. They had no respect for their bodies as they ran around naked in the wilderness. But when Jesus came into their lives Satan left the two men.
As St. Ignatius says, the devil is a bully. If someone remains strong in the face of temptation, Satan will flee. When we draw close to Jesus there is no room for demons. We need only keep our relationship with Jesus vibrant and we will drive evil away.
Reflection Questions:
1. Do I believe in the reality of the evil one? Do I feel his influence at times?
2. The possessed men in the Gospel ask Jesus, “Have you come to destroy us?” Do I have confidence that the Lord will deliver men from evil?
Dear Parishioners,
Friday we will ring our church bell at noon for all those who have died of the coronavirus. We ring the bell one time for each thousand people who have died. We do this to correspond to the time when Jesus went through his passion on Good Friday. Our country is certainly going through its own passion right now.
As we approach July 4th, we ask God to hear our prayers for our country. When ever a society is under stress it can bring out the worst in people or the generosity of people. Now is the time for generosity. We all will have to sacrifice to make weather this storm. Let’s try to be safe over this weekend and practice good hygiene. We need to take care of each other.
May Mary and all the Angels and Saints watch over us.
Fr. Mark