Monday 29 January 2024

Today is Monday the 29th of January, in the fourth week of Ordinary time.

Juliano Ravanello sings 'Sanctus'. As we enter into prayer today, take a moment to reflect on God’s holiness… what does it mean to you?

Today’s reading is from the Gospel of Mark.

Mark 5: 1-20

They came to the other side of the lake, to the country of the Gerasenes. And when he had stepped out of the boat, immediately a man out of the tombs with an unclean spirit met him. He lived among the tombs; and no one could restrain him any more, even with a chain; for he had often been restrained with shackles and chains, but the chains he wrenched apart, and the shackles he broke in pieces; and no one had the strength to subdue him. Night and day among the tombs and on the mountains he was always howling and bruising himself with stones. When he saw Jesus from a distance, he ran and bowed down before him; and he shouted at the top of his voice, ‘What have you to do with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I adjure you by God, do not torment me.’ For he had said to him, ‘Come out of the man, you unclean spirit!’ Then Jesus asked him, ‘What is your name?’ He replied, ‘My name is Legion; for we are many.’He begged him earnestly not to send them out of the country. Now there on the hillside a great herd of swine was feeding; and the unclean spiritsbegged him, ‘Send us into the swine; let us enter them.’ So he gave them permission. And the unclean spirits came out and entered the swine; and the herd, numbering about two thousand, rushed down the steep bank into the lake, and were drowned in the lake.

The swineherds ran off and told it in the city and in the country. Then people came to see what it was that had happened. They came to Jesus and saw the demoniac sitting there, clothed and in his right mind, the very man who had had the legion; and they were afraid. Those who had seen what had happened to the demoniac and to the swine reported it.Then they began to beg Jesus to leave their neighbourhood. As he was getting into the boat, the man who had been possessed by demons begged him that he might be with him. But Jesus refused, and said to him, ‘Go home to your friends, and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and what mercy he has shown you.’ And he went away and began to proclaim in the Decapolis how much Jesus had done for him; and everyone was amazed.

For some elements of scripture, it can be helpful to try to experience the scene as if you were an observer. This passage holds so much about the transformative power of Jesus, perhaps an opportunity to engage in a reflective approach.

Jesus has come to get away from the crowds, even to falling asleep in the boat as they were crossing. He seems hardly prepared to meet to someone like the man described.

Imagine the scene as the boat comes to shore. Feel the rawness of the surroundings, the tang of iron from the broken shackles. A tormented man, seeming hardly human, living in the harsh desolation of a graveyard, ‘howling and bruising himself with stones’. Witness to the man’s anguish as he suffers under the influence of the demons. What do you see?

What else do you see, hear, smell, and feel in this moment? What do you notice, emotions arise?

Where have you placed yourself in the scene? Which character do you feel drawn to? The disciples in the boat, the curious townspeople, the tormented man himself. How does this account speak of your own experiences of brokenness or despair?

Imagine your own conversation with Jesus. What would you say to Him, and what might He say to you? Share what struggles or experiences have brought you to this moment and listen for His words of comfort and healing.

And then healing….as quickly and as surely as the storm was stilled, the man is free.

Reflect on the healing and liberation you have experienced in your life. Have there been times when the Lord has brought you from a place of brokenness to wholeness? How might you express your gratitude?

‘Go home to your friends and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and what mercy he has shown you.’ Reflect on the reactions of all the witnesses, of the man himself. How might people respond to the transformative power of Jesus? Can you recall a time when you were witness to the Lord’s healing grace?

As we end this contemplation, in trust and prayer, share any thoughts or desires with the Lord.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.