Jesus and his disciples went to Capernaum; and when the sabbath came, he entered the synagogue and taught. They were astounded at his teaching, for he taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes. Just then there was in their synagogue a man with an unclean spirit, and he cried out, “What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are, the Holy One of God.” But Jesus rebuked him, saying, “Be silent, and come out of him!” And the unclean spirit, convulsing him and crying with a loud voice, came out of him. They were all amazed, and they kept on asking one another, “What is this? A new teaching—with authority! He commands even the unclean spirits, and they obey him.” At once his fame began to spread throughout the surrounding region of Galilee. Mark 1:21-28
It
was a dark and stormy Saturday anyway, so the mood was right for a day of
Exorcism
I
geek out on exorcism movies in the same way that others do for movies
about policeman and firefighters. I like seeing people who “practice” the same
calling going out and kicking evil’s butt. After all, what we are about in our “practice”
of God’s goodness is proclaiming to whatever forces are out there that good,
love and Jesus are of ultimate worth and power in a world that often seems
otherwise.
Jesus
does open battle with demons in the Gospel of Mark. We would probably be right
in consigning many of the ailments the “possessed” people suffer from to illnesses
like epilepsy or schizophrenia. If you are or I were to meet someone convinced
they were possessed, we would be right in seeking out medical help for them. We
don’t often seek out the exorcist anymore for people who are acting strange.
Yet,
there is something pretty instructive for us in the scene. We can still “exorcise”
stuff from our life with prayer, conversation and care for one another using
Jesus’ “technique.” Notice that Jesus
has a conversation with the demons. Notice that they know who he is and
recognize that they are powerless. Notice too that with Jesus’ help they
depart. They are named, called out, and then banished!
You
too can name-call out- and banish darkness from your life and the lives of
others. You have already done it before, even.
When
was the last time you had something on your heart or on your mind that felt
heavy, or dark, or unbelievably sad and you prayed about it or talked to
someone who loved you and you felt its power over you lessen or even go away? When you did that- you “banished darkness.”
When
we name our “darkness” or trouble it begins to lose its power over us.
Remember, as you encounter problems or dark times, that you have a community of
people in the Church who can listen to what is going on. You can be connected
to resources like counselors and (if necessary) Doctors who can help in that
work, too. Like the people in Jesus’ day, we have to recognize our need for one
another and for God’s help, and open ourselves up to that help by “crying out”
to God and to people who love us. The possessed man cried out, then Jesus could do his work!
[And
by the way, know that you have in Joel and me two people who care about you who
are always willing to be listening ears and a resource to help you find
whatever help you need.]
Demons,
whatever their form, are powerless
against the light, love and life offered by Jesus.
Tim
