H. Ivan Virgen Manzano, L.C.
In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Christ, our King, Thy Kingdom come!
Preparatory prayer (to put me in the presence of God)
Lord, by your example, help me to go out to others so that your mercy may reach those who need it.
Gospel of the day (to guide your meditation)
From the Holy Gospel according to Mark 5:1-20
At that time, after crossing the lake of Gennesaret, Jesus and his disciples came to the other side, to the region of the Gerasenes. No sooner had Jesus disembarked than there came running from the cemetery a man possessed by an unclean spirit, who lived in the sepulchers. At times they had tried to restrain him with rings and chains, but he broke the chains and tore the rings to pieces; no one had the strength to control him. He spent days and nights in the sepulchers or in the bush, screaming and beating himself with stones.
When the man saw Jesus from afar, he ran and fell down and cried out at the top of his voice, “What do you want with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beg you by God, do not torment me”.
He said this because Jesus had commanded the unclean spirit to come out of the man. Then Jesus asked him, “What is your name?” And he answered him, “My name is Legion, for we are many.” And he begged him earnestly not to drive them out of that region.
There was a large herd of swine feeding on the hillside. The spirits begged Jesus, “Let us get out of here and get into the pigs. And he let them. The unclean spirits came out of the man and got into the swine; and all the swine, about two thousand of them, rushed over the cliff into the lake and drowned.
Those who took care of the pigs ran away and told what had happened, in the village and in the countryside. The people went to see what had happened. They came to Jesus and saw the once demon-possessed man, now in his right mind, sitting up and clothed. Then they were afraid. And those who had seen everything told them what had happened to the demoniac and about the pigs. They began to beg Jesus to leave their district.
As Jesus was embarking, the demoniac begged him to take him into his company, but he refused and said to him, “Go home to your own family and tell them how merciful the Lord has been to you. And that man went away from there and began to proclaim throughout the region of Decapolis what Jesus had done for him. And all who heard him were amazed.
Word of the Lord.
Meditate on what God tells you in the Gospel
In this Gospel we contemplate how Christ heals the demoniac. This man was someone from whom everyone wanted to flee, but Christ does not forget to reach him. Jesus reminds us with this attitude that the Christian goes where few dare to go; the Christian does not distinguish between the worthy or the imperfect, he simply tries to bring to everyone the great joy of being a child of God.
Being a child of God restores dignity, as happened to the demoniac of Gerasa. When he was accepted by Christ, everything changed. From having the tombs as his home, he now has as his home the world to which he wishes to announce that someone has accepted him as he is, has healed his illness and has brought out the best in him. All for the greater gift of acceptance.
«Good people who want to listen to the word of Jesus, and to hear how this word touches the heart, but also driven by interest. Theirs is therefore a faith that combines the two things: a faith, a desire to love Jesus, but a little interested. Those are not the only ones in the Gospel who have such an attitude, for example, the episode of the demoniac of Gerasa in which the herdsmen, when they saw that by that miracle they had lost the pigs, made the calculation and said: “yes, yes: this one does miracles, but it does not suit us; we lose money with this”, and they told him politely: “Go home”.»
(Homily of H.H. Francis, April 16, 2018, in Santa Marta).
Dialogue with Christ
This is the most important part of your prayer, prepare yourself to talk with much love with the One who loves you.
Purpose
Propose a personal one. The one that involves the most love in response to the Beloved... or, if you believe that this is what God is asking of you, live what is suggested below.
Today I am going to pray for all those people who are rejected so that they may discover God's great love for them.
Farewell
We thank You, Lord, for all Your benefits, You who live and reign forever and ever.
Amen.
Christ, our King!
Thy Kingdom come!
Most prudent Virgin, Mary, Mother of the Church.
Pray for us.
In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
