Monday, 4th Week in Ordinary Time, January 30, 2023

Fr. Rick’s Two Minute Homily for Monday, 4th Week in Ordinary Time, January 30, 2023

Mark 5:1-20 https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/013023.cfm

Alone and Helpless.

People handle pain in different ways. Some have acute pain that never goes away, and they seek a doctor. Others wait until the last minute, and the pain becomes a crisis. Beyond the crisis is someone who finds no relief in anything and becomes a lonely soul. No matter how much family and friends reach out to them, they are alone and helpless.

The man in today’s gospel had a legion of demons inside of him. The line caught my attention: " He was always crying out and bruising himself with stones." Crying out – people suffering from addictions come to mind. Alcohol, drugs, and even physical and mental abuse are cries for help, and the pain of loneliness and helplessness aggravates the pain. So, to dull the pain, they abuse themselves or others with "bad" medicines (drugs, etc.) that feed their illness.

It is easy to recognize this behavior in someone else, and it is not so easy to acknowledge the pain that never goes away in ourselves. It, too, is followed by behaviors that are not healthy for us and others. A doctor or a priest visit can help us come to terms with our difficulties. Jesus is in that doctor or priest you visit, waiting to fill your loneliness with His love for you and people who genuinely love you. The merciful love of Jesus unbinds the shackles in our minds and hearts.

Gospel Challenge:
Call that doctor or a counselor, or a priest. If you are a victim of abuse, you must also make a call. Everything created, good and bad, submits to the merciful love of Jesus. "They (the people) caught sight of the man possessed by Legion, sitting there clothed and in his right mind."

IGNITE THE FIRE!

Fr. Rick Pilger, IC

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