In today’s Gospel, Jesus encounters a man who is unable to speak for himself; he is possessed by an unclean spirit. “What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us?” says the unclean spirit, speaking for both of them. Jesus does not enter into dialogue with the spirit, even after it has recognized him to be the “Holy One of God.” Instead he silences the spirit and commands it to come out of the man.
It may seem that stories of possession are rare, especially in our day. But consider how often the words that come out of our lips betray our true selves. How often do we speak in a spirit of fear, pride, selfishness, or insecurity? We can be petty, fickle, cowardly even in our best attempts at being magnanimous and holy. We know when this happens because when we do so, our hearts are not at peace.
Jesus comes to restore our human dignity and rid us of everything that stands against our human nature to love, including those unclean spirits that get in the way of us living with authenticity. He invites us to draw close to him, continually, to see ourselves and those around us–with all our wounds and our imperfections–through his eyes of love. It is his words that set us free. He wishes to be so intimately united to us, that our words become His own, and these are words of love, compassion, and truth.
May we allow Christ evermore into our hearts, to speak to us and through us so that we may live authentically, helping to bring about the love and the healing the world needs.