The Catholic Calendar for Wednesday July 5, 2006
Wednesday of the Thirteenth Week in Ordinary Time
St. Anthony Mary Zaccaria, priest

Scripture from today's Liturgy of the Word:
Amos 5:14-15, 21-24
Psalm 50:7, 8-9, 10-11, 12-13, 16bc-17
Matthew 8:28-34

A reflection on today's Sacred Scripture:

In our gospel message today, Jesus casts the demons out of two men setting them free from this terrible existence. The situation must have been terrible not only for them, but for the people of that region, given that the road nearby was impassible due to the savagery of the possessed men. And how is our Lord repaid for this miracle? He is asked to leave.

How can this be?

We can never know the minds of others; so whatever drove the people’s thinking, in asking the Lord to depart after he had fixed a horrid situation that had plagued them for some time, will never be known. But it happens all the time, sadly by most of us. How many times do we turn our backs on the Lord in our sinfulness although He has given us everything? How many times have we asked the Lord to step aside to make room for our modern day idols? This is so easy to do! Did the people of the territory of the Gadarenes realize Whom they had turned away? Do we?

- Don Claunch, SFO
(dlclaunch at bresnan dot net)