Fifth Sunday after Pentecost, Octoechos Tone 4; The Holy Apostle Aquila
Read
Romans 10:1-10; Matthew 8:28-9:1
The Lord loves us so much and desires our healing that He will go places and do things that we can’t expect. Today’s Gospel reveals that He went into a Gentile area where no Jewish person would go and heal in a manner unexpected by everyone—whether they be Jewish, Gentile, or disciple. Our Lord had expelled demons before. When He did so with a little boy, the demons left by convulsing the boy so much that he almost died (see Mark 9:26). It was probably out of mercy for these two men that he heard the demons’ request to enter the pigs. Hence, he cast the demons away not with great fanfare but with a single word, “Go!” The demons left, entered the pigs, and had them run into the water and be drowned.
This healing is astonishing for everyone—whether they be Jewish, Gentile, or disciple. Who is this who wielded such power in a gentle manner? Could He be the promised Messiah? The demoniacs and inhabitants of the town ask Jesus to leave. They couldn’t handle the showing of such power and were too disconcerted to have Him stay. They preferred to remain in the state before all of this happened, a state of suffering and unbalance. Do I do the same? Do I find this contradiction in my own heart?
The Lord loves us so much and desires our healing that He will go places and do things that we can’t expect. As the Lord heals all of us and each of us, let us ask Him for the grace and inner freedom to accept the change it will make in our lives (my life).
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