A reading from the holy Gospel according to Matthew
The demons pleaded with Jesus, “If you drive us out, send us into the herd of swine.” And he said to them, “Go then!” They came out and entered the swine, and the whole herd rushed down the steep bank into the sea where they drowned.
Jesus and his disciples arrive in the region of the Gadarenes, where they are met by two men possessed by demons. These men are so violent and fierce that no one dares to pass by that way. The demons within them recognize Jesus and cry out, asking if he had come to torment them before the appointed time. A large herd of pigs was feeding nearby, and the demons beg Jesus to send them into the pigs instead of tormenting them. Jesus grants their request, and the demons leave the men and enter the herd of pigs. The pigs, possessed by the demons, rush down a steep bank into the sea and drown. Just as the words of Jesus “Go then!” bring into realization what the demons request, how much more does he hear us when we ask for the Father’s will to be done?
God, help me see the internal division within myself that prevents me from receiving you. The demons, who recognize Jesus as the Son of God, know that their power will end at an appointed time. They reject Jesus, and the torment his presence brings to them. God, help me see your Son present to me in the people and events I encounter today. Give me the grace, Father in heaven, to receive your Son in the truth of his word to give you glory.
From the Gospel acclamation: “The Father willed to give us birth by the word of truth that we may be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures.” Lord, stay with me today so that I remain in your truth.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.