Monday of the
Fourth Week in Ordinary Time
(II Samuel 15:13-14.30.16:5-13; Mark 5:1-20)
Police departments are informing people on what to do if
an “active shooter” enters their premises.
Such incidents have become so common that public education is now deemed
necessary. Confronting the villain is
considered a last resort. First people
are advised to flee. In today’s gospel
Jesus does not choose the preferred option when confronted by the mad man.
The man must be terribly frightening. The passage describes him as incapable of
being held back even by chains. Yet Jesus
does not even flinch when the man comes into his midst. Rather he cool-headedly
seizes the initiative. He tells the
demons possessing the man to depart.
Then he manipulates them to surrender authority by revealing their
names. After he has them completely in
his power, Jesus sends the demons into a swineherd.
Sometimes Jesus is pictured as a weak sort. But in this story, he shows himself quite
forceful. There is no testimony in the
gospels indicating that Jesus looked like a body builder, but this episode
attests to his bravery. The point is
that we can count on him. He will help
us in every situation when we call on him.
