Word to the Wise
Wednesday, July 2, 2025 - Wednesday in the 13th Week in Ordinary Time
[Gen 21:5, 8-20a and Matt 8:28-34]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. [Matthew]
The evangelists Matthew and Luke both "borrowed" heavily from the Gospel According to Mark but each of the two used the material from Mark in different ways. In today's gospel scripture, Matthew recounts the story, also in Mark, of the exorcism Jesus performed in a pagan region, and reduces it, seemingly, to emphasize Jesus' power. He has calmed the weather. He can cast out demons. And in the next incident after the exorcism, he shows he can forgive sins by healing a paralytic. Today's story is a colorful event with a herd of pigs running off a cliff into the sea.
The reaction of the villagers is not one of faith but one of fear. One wonders what a series of interviews with them might have revealed. Was it due to their own demons or was it a reaction to a mysterious "power" that could send them running off a cliff? Is it a "Thanks for kicking out the demon(s) but we'll take it from here. You can go now!" reaction? When faced with such power, which can make one feel very puny, does discomfort block faith? In Mark's version, the former demoniac wants to join Jesus on the way, in contrast to the villagers' reaction. Jesus, instead, tells him to go and share his experience with the region!
What is our reaction to Jesus' power? We celebrate that power in the sacraments, especially in the Eucharist and Reconciliation. These are comfortable channels. We accept miracles as part of our faith and pray for God's power to intervene on behalf of a loved one. Our all too human frame reacts in different ways to such power. Do we welcome it or ask it to go away? AMEN