Memorial of Saint John Bosco
January 31, 2022
Daily Reading from the USCCB: Mark 5:1-20
This story is complex. Jesus is in Gentile territory. There’s a man beset with a whole battalion of devils. The devils persuade Jesus to send them into a nearby herd of pigs. The pigs rush over a cliff into the sea. The man who had been possessed is now liberated and wants to come with Jesus. Jesus refuses. The local people are terrified and beg Jesus to go away.
Scholars have a lot to say about every element of this story, but one thing is clear. Jesus has power over evil. He can free afflicted individuals and control whole armies of demons.
We too, are afflicted with evil. Jesus can liberate us if we let him.