Daily Reflection Monday of the Fourth Week in Ordinary Time

Today’s gospel story, the exorcism of the Gerasene demoniac, follows immediately upon the calming of the storm at sea. In that story, Jesus freed his disciples from fear as the violent storm threatened their lives. Now Jesus frees a man from the violent grasp of the evil spirit. Saint Mark shows us the power of the Son of God, over the forces of nature as well as over the devil.



In a way, Jesus follows the script of the Creation story. As God created the universe with simply a word, Jesus restores order to creation with his spoken commands. To the raging storm he said calmly, “Peace, be still.” Then, according to Mark, “… there was dead calm.” And to the demon Jesus said, “Come out of the man,” and the unclean spirit left him. Once the man was freed from the devil’s grip, he pursued Jesus and asked to follow him. But Jesus told him to go home to his family and friends and proclaim to them what the Lord had done for him. Jesus send him off to be a missionary.



It is interesting to note that Saint Mark tells us that this miracle took place in the country of the Gerasenes. This is Gentile territory, an indication that the good news is now spreading beyond the Jewish population. Hence the liberation from the power of evil is a liberation for mission.