Do not follow Me

Today’s Gospel Text:  They came to the other side of the sea, to the country of the Ger'asenes. 2 And when he had come out of the boat, there met him out of the tombs a man with an unclean spirit, 3 who lived among the tombs; and no one could bind him any more, even with a chain; 4 for he had often been bound with fetters and chains, but the chains he wrenched apart, and the fetters he broke in pieces; and no one had the strength to subdue him. 5 Night and day among the tombs and on the mountains he was always crying out, and bruising himself with stones. 6 And when he saw Jesus from afar, he ran and worshiped him; 7 and crying out with a loud voice, he said, "What have you to do with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I adjure you by God, do not torment me." 8 For he had said to him, "Come out of the man, you unclean spirit!" 9 And Jesus asked him, "What is your name?" He replied, "My name is Legion; for we are many." 10 And he begged him eagerly not to send them out of the country. 11 Now a great herd of swine was feeding there on the hillside; 12 and they begged him, "Send us to the swine, let us enter them." 13 So he gave them leave. And the unclean spirits came out, and entered the swine; and the herd, numbering about two thousand, rushed down the steep bank into the sea, and were drowned in the sea.

14 The herdsmen fled, and told it in the city and in the country. And people came to see what it was that had happened. 15 And they came to Jesus, and saw the demoniac sitting there, clothed and in his right mind, the man who had had the legion; and they were afraid. 16 And those who had seen it told what had happened to the demoniac and to the swine. 17 And they began to beg Jesus to depart from their neighborhood. 18 And as he was getting into the boat, the man who had been possessed with demons begged him that he might be with him. 19 But he refused, and said to him, "Go home to your friends, and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and how he has had mercy on you." 20 And he went away and began to proclaim in the Decap'olis how much Jesus had done for him; and all men marveled. Mark 5:1-20

Reflection: Some experiences of life make us matured and good instrument of God to reach out to others.

In this story of the demoniac we have a beautiful example of Jesus’ approach to life.

All throughout the Gospel we have this strong message that in order to find our salvation we also have to follow Christ besides believing in him. 

No doubt, the majority of us may have to do that and even be part of the church, which is a constitutive element for our salvation. 

The exception to the rule is brought about in this story; even though the demoniac wanted to follow Christ and dwell in the security of Christ’s love, Jesus forbids him from doing so.

Was he not for many years being taught in the school of the evil one, under the possession of the devil, tormented by him? 

And if we were to apply modern psychological terms then we could confidently affirm that this man was out of his mind and more so had become a terror to the many who just couldn't understand the phenomenon and the power that he exercised when chained.

Did such a one not need a period of formation, go through a rite of Christ initiation and a course in discipleship, spirituality, theology, etc.?

Why then did Christ reject him when he wanted to follow Christ? His rejection by Christ was an acceptance by Christ of the immense work he had worked in the man overnight; a man who had been also schooled through the worst ever hardship and cross of life. 

Besides God, only he knew what shame and hardship he may have gone through in order to come out of his situation, waiting for the day of his salvation. 

Did he again now had to carry the cross daily and follow him, the one who now knows that the     

“yoke of Christ is easy, and his burden is light." (cfr.Matt 11:30) - Taking them upon himself he must now proclaim Christ all throughout the Decapolis.

The desire to proclaim is clear visible sign of a good disciple and it amounts to being a witness; the one who proclaims the truth of one's encounter with Christ is a sound witness of Christ. 

Prayer:  Lord, I pray that I too may encounter you in my daily life and thus proclaim what you do to me to others. 

DD = Dedicated Discipleship:  Come grow in the Lord with us

Faulty Formation

Today’s Gospel Text: At that time Jesus declared, "I thank thee, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that thou hast hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to babes; 26 yea, Father, for such was thy gracious will. 27 All things have been delivered to me by my Father; and no one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and any one to whom the Son chooses to reveal him. Matt 11:25-27

Reflection: Our schools and our formation houses train us to be mature men and women. Some teach to have a balanced approach to life and equip us to survive and even reach out to others.  Our formation houses even train us to be balanced and give a holistic formation, though a big question mark.

When it comes to our formation houses; we are trained to be wise and understanding; hence they exercise leadership in the community of God’s people.  

Some in order to be further wise and grow in understanding amass secular certificates and degrees for progressive growth in the organization of the church and are looked up to for such qualifications.

This is nothing but a deviant behavior pattern, benefitting the self more than the people whom we serve.  Hence the sermons are those that are based on such worldly knowledge and wisdom.

Similarly, those formed in our institutions, rise in the corporate work place to accommodate positions of power and authority.  They are able to express with confidence that which need not be sound wisdom, and at the same time their listeners lap up whatever is given to them, due also to their lack of training in discernment.

I often hear the adage; “there is no right or wrong answers”.  If there is no a right or wrong answers then what are they? A partly right answer, and we have every right to use that term when necessary, but it is still a wrong answer. Only a right answer is a right answer.

Now to understand even these small nuances, we require a different kind of wisdom and understanding.  The Church needs to return to such wisdom and understanding to survive in these deceptive times.

"I thank thee, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that thou hast hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to babes.”

Prayer:  Lord, apart from you we can do nothing; help us to realize the limitations of our mind to comprehend the deeper truths of life and return to know from you like little children.

DD = Dedicated Discipleship:  Come grow in the Lord with us