Daily Retreat 07/04/07
2007 Jul 4 Wed/ Elizabeth of Portugal, mw/ Independence Day
Gn 21:5. 8-20a/ Ps 33(34):7-8. 10-11. 12-13/ Mt 8:28-34
From today’s readings: “On the day of the child’s weaning, Abraham held a great feast..... The Lord hears the cry of the poor.... When Jesus came to the territory of the Gadarenes, two demoniacs who were coming from the tombs met Him.”
Pigs or Persons?
When Jesus exorcized the demoniacs in the territory of the Gadarenes, the demons, at their own request, were sent into a herd of pigs, which were then driven to drowning by the mad monsters. But when the townsmen heard of the miracle, they frowned on it as a catastrophe, for the Gospel mentions that they came out en masse to beg Jesus to leave their district.
Presumably some of the townsfolk had stock in the herd, and so, they were naturally upset at their loss. However, any herd of pigs, which Jews consider “unclean,” would have been an unwelcome aberration even in the Hebrew hinterlands. One would have expected the majority of the people to have appreciated Jesus both for curing the demoniacs and for getting rid of the pigs!
But rather than recognizing any good that Jesus had done, the residents resented Jesus, for whatever reasons, and so begged Him to leave their district (and more importantly, to leave them alone!). The same annoyed attitude can certainly be found in our own times, probably even in our own communities, and possibly even in our own hearts. For, in order to fully welcome Jesus, one must evict evil entirely - and that always entails a cost! For some people, the attachment and concern for the unclean things of life outweighs the grace that Jesus brings, so they tragically continue to beg Him to just leave them alone.
Gn 21:5. 8-20a/ Ps 33(34):7-8. 10-11. 12-13/ Mt 8:28-34
From today’s readings: “On the day of the child’s weaning, Abraham held a great feast..... The Lord hears the cry of the poor.... When Jesus came to the territory of the Gadarenes, two demoniacs who were coming from the tombs met Him.”
Pigs or Persons?
When Jesus exorcized the demoniacs in the territory of the Gadarenes, the demons, at their own request, were sent into a herd of pigs, which were then driven to drowning by the mad monsters. But when the townsmen heard of the miracle, they frowned on it as a catastrophe, for the Gospel mentions that they came out en masse to beg Jesus to leave their district.
Presumably some of the townsfolk had stock in the herd, and so, they were naturally upset at their loss. However, any herd of pigs, which Jews consider “unclean,” would have been an unwelcome aberration even in the Hebrew hinterlands. One would have expected the majority of the people to have appreciated Jesus both for curing the demoniacs and for getting rid of the pigs!
But rather than recognizing any good that Jesus had done, the residents resented Jesus, for whatever reasons, and so begged Him to leave their district (and more importantly, to leave them alone!). The same annoyed attitude can certainly be found in our own times, probably even in our own communities, and possibly even in our own hearts. For, in order to fully welcome Jesus, one must evict evil entirely - and that always entails a cost! For some people, the attachment and concern for the unclean things of life outweighs the grace that Jesus brings, so they tragically continue to beg Him to just leave them alone.
posted by FrPitstick | 7/03/2007
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