January 30, Monday, 4th Week in Ordinary Time
First Reading: Hebrew 11:32-40; Gospel: Mark 5:1-20
The liturgy of the word today is an invitation to recognize the importance of the acts of faith in our faith journey.
The first reading presents Old Testament heroes of faith who, despite all the difficulties and challenges in their life, faced their battle with heroic faith, because they believed and trusted in God's promise of salvation.
In the Gospel, we find Jesus and his disciples arrive in the region of Gerasene which is not Jewish and there He meets a man possessed by an army of evil spirits. What a drama of encounter, what a faith of the man! An encounter of turmoil and its calmness! Jesus heals the possessed man. The possessed man lived in the graveyard, inflicting serious damage on himself and instilling fear in those who approached him. Jesus’ portrayal of power in setting him free from the demons and to become human again makes the man return to his senses and he wants to be with Jesus.
Our God is a God of liberation. Jesus has come to free us and introduce us to the fullness of life.
The great message for me today is that each one of us is loved unconditionally by Jesus and has a place in this world that is why Jesus came to rescue us from darkness to light.
Now, see another scene of the story. The inhabitants of the region verify the healing of the possessed man and want to get rid of the liberator, which means they prefer to continue living in slavery of sins, sickness, living with evil forces. They are used to living in darkness which makes it hard for them to accept any changes for the betterment of their living. How true indeed that being possessed by any form of demon, makes us go away from our relationship with God.
Finally, what a story of freedom! The possessed man was freed from all the evil forces that had enslaved him all these years and he is, now, ready to follow Jesus. But Jesus told him, “Go home to your friends, and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and what mercy He has shown you.”
Here Jesus reminds us that our conversion and transformation are not for Him but for our mission: to share and proclaim the good news to our brothers and sisters about how Jesus is at work in our lives.
For reflection:
Considering the possessed man: Am I free enough to tell Jesus all my sins?
Considering Gerasene people: What are the challenges that hinder me from living the Christian way?
Considering Jesus’ action: Am I ready to share with others the good that He has done for me?
Radio Veritas Asia (RVA), a media platform of the Catholic Church, aims to share Christ. RVA started in 1969 as a continental Catholic radio station to serve Asian countries in their respective local language, thus earning the tag “the Voice of Asian Christianity.” Responding to the emerging context, RVA embraced media platforms to connect with the global Asian audience via its 21 language websites and various social media platforms.
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