Right Mind
Monday of the Fourth Week in Ordinary Time
Read this Gospel passage aloud to the family
Mark 5:1-20 - Jesus and his disciples came to the other side of the sea, to the territory of the Gerasenes. When he got out of the boat, at once a man from the tombs who had an unclean spirit met him. The man had been dwelling among the tombs, and no one could restrain him any longer, even with a chain. In fact, he had frequently been bound with shackles and chains, but the chains had been pulled apart by him and the shackles smashed, and no one was strong enough to subdue him. Night and day among the tombs and on the hillsides he was always crying out and bruising himself with stones. Catching sight of Jesus from a distance, he ran up and prostrated himself before him, crying out in a loud voice, “What have you to do with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I adjure you by God, do not torment me!” (He had been saying to him, “Unclean spirit, come out of the man!”) He asked him, “What is your name?” He replied, “Legion is my name. There are many of us.” And he pleaded earnestly with him not to drive them away from that territory.
Now a large herd of swine was feeding there on the hillside. And they pleaded with him, “Send us into the swine. Let us enter them.” And he let them, and the unclean spirits came out and entered the swine. The herd of about two thousand rushed down a steep bank into the sea, where they were drowned. The swineherds ran away and reported the incident in the town and throughout the countryside. And people came out to see what had happened. As they approached Jesus, they caught sight of the man who had been possessed by Legion, sitting there clothed and in his right mind. And they were seized with fear. Those who witnessed the incident explained to them what had happened to the possessed man and to the swine. Then they began to beg him to leave their district. As he was getting into the boat, the man who had been possessed pleaded to remain with him. But Jesus would not permit him but told him instead, “Go home to your family and announce to them all that the Lord in his pity has done for you.” Then the man went off and began to proclaim in the Decapolis what Jesus had done for him; and all were amazed.
(Parent) Reread this part a few times aloud
“Go home to your family and announce to them all that the Lord in his pity has done for you.”
(Parent) Read this meditation aloud to the family
This passage from the Gospel certainly has some uncomfortable parts to it. None of us likes to think too much about the reality of evil or evil things, like demons. As much as the modern world tries to ignore the subject, we have to face the fact that they are prevalent, powerful, and have real influence over people today. Jesus encounters demons often. In the Gospel, Jesus goes into a Gentile region across the Sea of Galilee and encounters a possessed man. The demons in this story tell us something about the way they work—they are so twisted that they always work toward destruction.
But there is an infinitely stronger figure in the Gospel as well: Jesus. Jesus is our great hope and our great victory over evil. Look at the immediate effect that Jesus’ great power and His tender pity has on this once terrifying, possessed man, now “sitting there clothed and in his right mind,” being instructed by Jesus to be an evangelist to this region. We must learn to rely on Jesus as our strength against evil. We must beg him to help us fight against our own weakness, temptation, sin, and the evil around us. He is the ultimate victor. What sins are slowly destroying us? Have we asked the Lord for His tender pity and infinite power?
As a family, pray a portion of the Rosary together (very short if children are young) reflecting on the Scripture passage above. (Optional: allow a brief time for discussion or questions from children concerning their thoughts and prayer.)
Reminder for Parents: Pier is just meant to be a jumping off point. The real goal is that you pray & eventually use the fruits of your personal prayer as the content of your family’s prayer. Duc in altum.
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