Monday of the Fourth Week in Ordinary Time
It is significant to notice that in the midst of the strange episode presented to us in the passage about the Gerasene demoniac today, the narrative ultimately revolves around the rescue of a person who suffered a great deal and was restored to wholeness by the Lord. It begins with a description of the demoniac’s affliction and ends by recounting how the healed man bore public witness to the wonders that Jesus performed for him.
We should also take notice of what seizes the crowd with fear. Interestingly, it’s not the fact that a herd of pigs possessed by demons went running down the hill into the sea. While this incident was also presumably disturbing, the thing that is overtly mentioned as filling the crowd with fear is the sight of the man who had previously been possessed sitting calmly in his right mind.
Isn’t it intriguing that of all the crazy elements in this narrative, the thing that perhaps most frightened the people was the power and love of God reaching down from Heaven in the incarnate divinity of Jesus. This observation raises some interesting questions for us to ponder. Are there perhaps ways in which we are consciously or unconsciously afraid to let Jesus fully into our lives? Are we sometimes hesitant to allow Him to get too close? Are we ever wary of what might happen if we open our hearts to Him completely?