Reflection for January 30, Monday of the Fourth Week in Ordinary Time: Mark 5:1-20

Gospel: Mark 5:1-20

Jesus and his disciples came to the other side of the sea, 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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Reflection:

Have you been possessed by the devil? 

This gospel episode of Jesus encounter with the man possessed by the evil spirit could happen to anyone of us. And the liberation from the possession of the evil spirit that Jesus did to this man could also happen to us. The conversion of this freed man who later became Jesus follower could also happen to us too! 

But why are there possessions by an evil spirit? This happens because we distance ourselves from Jesus. Or we don’t distance ourselves from Jesus but we don’t live His teachings. By doing so we give room for the devil to operate and take control of ourselves. 

For example, yes we pray and go to Holy Mass. But how come that when temptations come along we are not able to resist it? This occurs for the simple reason that we don’t let Jesus come into our hearts and take control of it. 

We are often times followers in name only. Therefore, we open ourselves to the possession of the many evils of our times. What are these? Lust, betrayal of the sacred marriage covenant, addiction to pornography, allowing ourselves to be possessed by our high-tech gadgets and the like.   

We therefore have to be faithful to our discipleship with Jesus. And we have to ask Jesus to protect us from whatever evils that lurks around us. And after that we now have to do our part because at the end of the day it's still in our hands, God has given us the freewill to decide. Would we allow ourselves to be tempted by the devil or we go and walk with Jesus? - Marino J. Dasmarinas