Gospel

Matthew 8:28-34

When Jesus came to the territory of the Gadarenes,

two demoniacs who were coming from the tombs met him.

They were so savage that no one could travel by that road.

They cried out, "What have you to do with us, Son of God?

Have you come here to torment us before the appointed time?"

Some distance away a herd of many swine was feeding.

The demons pleaded with him,

"If you drive us out, send us into the herd of swine."

And he said to them, "Go then!"

They came out and entered the swine,

and the whole herd rushed down the steep bank into the sea

where they drowned.

The swineherds ran away,

and when they came to the town they reported everything,

including what had happened to the demoniacs.

Thereupon the whole town came out to meet Jesus,

and when they saw him they begged him to leave their district.

Reflection

At the end of time, when the kingdom has come, evil will be destroyed. It's called the Kingdom of heaven. But in this reading, you see a statement by the demoniacs, that this is not yet the time for them to be destroyed. So they need to live, and the only way evil lives is when it enters into someone or something, and its essence is to destroy.

When evil goes into the swine, they immediately destroy themselves. This frightening image of evil may be the reason why the people from the town wanted Jesus to leave. It's a frightening thing to deal with the reality of evil, but it's real.

Closing Prayer

Father, redemption means that you have freed us from the power of evil. Help us to have confidence in dealing with this power. Most especially though, give us the assurance that we will never be destroyed by this power. If we turn to you. And we ask this in Jesus’ name, Amen.

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