Tag: exorcism

“Everything is possible to one who has faith.” | Monday of the Seventh Week in Ordinary Time

From the responsorial psalm: “The LORD is king, in splendor robed;
robed is the LORD and girt about with strength. The Lord is king; he is robed in majesty.”

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Mark (9:14-29, today’s readings)

Jesus said to him, “‘If you can!’ Everything is possible to one who has faith.” Then the boy’s father cried out, “I do believe, help my unbelief!”

Taking place immediately after the Transfiguration as Jesus comes down from the mountain with Peter, James, John and meets the other disciples, today’s Gospel describes Jesus’ encounter with a man whose son is possessed. In an argument with some scribes after attempting to drive out the demon, the disciples face the lack of faith of the father and the scribes. That is why Jesus says to them, “O faithless generation, how long will I be with you?” Jesus then asks them to bring the boy to him, whose spirit throws him to the ground in convulsions. The father asks for Jesus compassion and help, saying “if you can do anything.” Jesus redirects the father’s attention to everything that is possible through faith in God. In response, his profession of faith is a prayer for all who have faith in the Lord: “I do believe, help my unbelief.”

God, help me trust that you can do the impossible, especially in circumstances that appear to have no solution. Just as the father asks for help on behalf of the son, let me come to you with firm conviction in faith that you alone can restore us to your image. Daily life seems to produce abundant barriers to the realization of hope sought through continual prayer. Yet, through Jesus Christ your Son, you transfigure human dignity in a way that accomplishes your plan for salvation while respecting free will. “For my thoughts are not your thoughts,” you say through Isaiah, “neither are your ways my ways, says the LORD.” Lord, strengthen my faith!

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.

Tuesday of the Fourth Week in Ordinary Time

From the Gospel acclamation: “Christ took away our infirmities and bore our diseases.”

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Mark (today’s readings)

She said, “If I but touch his clothes, I shall be cured.” Immediately her flow of blood dried up. She felt in her body that she was healed of her affliction. Jesus, aware at once that power had gone out from him, turned around in the crowd and asked, “Who has touched my clothes?” But his disciples said to him, “You see how the crowd is pressing upon you, and yet you ask, Who touched me?” And he looked around to see who had done it. The woman, realizing what had happened to her, approached in fear and trembling. She fell down before Jesus and told him the whole truth.

Mark tells us about two intertwined miracles performed by Jesus: the healing of a woman with a hemorrhage and the raising of Jairus’s daughter from the dead. Jairus, a synagogue leader, falls at Jesus’ feet and begs him to go to his young, dying daughter. As Jesus makes his way, a woman who has been suffering from a hemorrhage for twelve years approaches him with a condition that has worsened over time. Believing that if she can just touch Jesus’ clothes, she will be healed of her affliction, she touches his garment and is immediately healed and tells Jesus “the whole truth.” Jesus then goes to Jairus’s daughter and hears that she has already died. He continues anyway, and despite facing ridicule for saying she is only sleeping, Jesus takes the girl by the hand, tells her to arise, and she immediately rises to new life. Jesus heals in two ways: by responding to Jairus’s desperate plea and by restoring the woman through her quiet faith. In both miracles, faith is the key.

Father in heaven, let me remember to come to you today whether for long-held afflictions or for acute, urgent needs. The quiet faith of the woman and the distressed prayer of Jairus both reveal ways to call out to you for your grace and healing. Strengthen my faith, Lord, and let me trust that when I bring myself before you, you already know what I need and will provide.

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.

“All that the Lord in his pity has done for you.” | Monday of the Fourth Week in Ordinary Time

From the Gospel acclamation: “A great prophet has arisen in our midst and God has visited his people.”

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Mark (today’s readings)

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.”

Following the calming of a storm at sea, Jesus and the disciples arrive at the region of Gerasenes and encounter a man possessed by demons. Living among the tombs and restrained by chains and shackles he smashed, the demon-possessed man meets Jesus at the shore. Night and day, Mark tells us, the man cried out and bruised himself with stones. Recognizing Jesus by name, the demons identifying themselves as Legion, beg Jesus not to torment them. Granting their request, Jesus sends the demons into a nearby herd of pigs, which immediately rush down a steep bank into the sea. The man returns to his right mind, and the witnesses and nearby townspeople beg the man to leave, who first attempts to go with Jesus and then travels to the Decapolis to proclaim what Jesus has done for him. The people are amazed, and word of Jesus begins to spread. Sometimes life would have us living among tombs, possessed by inner demons. If Jesus drove out Legion, he can drive out any of those who name themselves or any who dwell in us in anonymity. “Let your hearts take comfort, all who hope in the Lord.”

God, stay beside me this moment and throughout the day as I meditate on the power of Jesus Christ your Son to name and cast out any evil within me. Thanks be to you, Lord, for the gifts of baptism and reconciliation and the true food and true drink of the Eucharist. Jesus commanded the possessed man to do one thing. Let me open my heart in gratitude to his command and find joy in it: “Go home to your family and announce to them all that the Lord in his pity has done for you.” Help me remember your compassion, Lord, as I place my trust in you.

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.

“The Kingdom of God has come upon you.” | Thursday of the Third Week of Lent

From the verse before the Gospel: “Even now, says the LORD, return to me with your whole heart, for I am gracious and merciful.”

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Luke (Lk 11:14-23)

“But if it is by the finger of God that I drive out demons, then the Kingdom of God has come upon you. When a strong man fully armed guards his palace, his possessions are safe. But when one stronger than he attacks and overcomes him, he takes away the armor on which he relied and distributes the spoils. Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters.”

The language Jesus uses to describe exorcism clearly shows his divine identity and connection with the Father. Even more, by giving evil a name, Beelzebul, he leaves no doubt about the reality of demonic powers at large throughout the world. Although strong, Beelzebul does not have power over the undivided authority of God to cast him out. Jesus is the stronger one who overcomes him, eliminates his armor, and distributes the spoils of victory. In Christ’s initiative to unite himself to us with our free consent of the will, the Evil One’s power to divide falls to dust. Like the mute man Jesus exorcises, when we align ourselves with Christ, the stronger man, we proclaim his holy name: “Come, let us sing joyfully to the LORD; let us acclaim the Rock of our salvation. If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts.”

Father in heaven, by your finger Jesus drove out demons and restored people to wholeness. Let me ponder for a minute the areas of my life where I am mute, unable to speak of you in gratitude and praise. The spoils I have, Lord, I would count as meager, yet you attack and overcome anything in me that guards the possessions that belong to you—joy, freedom from sin, my desire to know and do your will. Give me the grace to open the door to your mercy so you can enter and cast out from me what does not belong.

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.

“For this purpose have I come.”| Wednesday of the First Week in Ordinary Time

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Mark (Mk 1:29-39)

The whole town was gathered at the door. He cured many who were sick with various diseases, and he drove out many demons, not permitting them to speak because they knew him.

Jesus never stops healing and preaching to fulfill his mission, moving in an ever-widening circle. Starting with Peter’s mother-in-law, Jesus heals her of her fever. As the whole town gathers at the door in the evening, he then goes on to drive out demons and cure the sick. Rising well before dawn the next day, Jesus goes off to a deserted place to pray until Peter finds him, saying, “Everyone is looking for you.” Jesus responds by picking up and going “throughout the whole of Galilee.” The servant of servants, he tells Peter, the rock on which he builds his Church: “For this purpose have I come.” Love starts at home and spirals ever outward through God’s grace. As Saint Teresa of Calcutta said: “Love begins at home, and it is not how much we do, but how much love we put in the action that we do. It is to God Almighty—how much we do it does not matter, because He is infinite, but how much love we put in that action. How much we do to Him in the person that we are serving.”

God, just as Jesus grasped Peter’s mother-in-law by the hand and moments later she waited on her family, grasp me by the hand today to make clear your will. Samuel learns to respond to your repeated calls, finally saying, “Speak, for your servant is listening.” In hearing and responding to you, I move from contemplation to action. In describing the infinite love you give to your people, Saint Teresa repeats twice the phrase “how much love we put in the action.” It’s in that willingness to show extravagant love to those you put in our way that we grasp the love of the Almighty and to serve your Son in serving others. “For this purpose have I come,” Jesus tells Peter. Lord, as you did for Peter’s mother-in-law, do for me today: approach me, grasp my hand, help me up.

From the responsorial psalm: “Sacrifice or oblation you wished not, but ears open to obedience you gave me. Burnt offerings or sin-offerings you sought not; then said I, ‘Behold I come.’ Here am I, Lord; I come to do your will.”

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.

“I know who you are–the Holy One of God!” | Tuesday of the First Week in Ordinary Time

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Mark (Mk 1:21-28)

In their synagogue was a man with an unclean spirit; 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!” Jesus rebuked him and said, “Quiet! Come out of him!” The unclean spirit convulsed him and with a loud cry came out of him.

Jesus demonstrates his divine authority in two ways in today’s Gospel passage: in word and action, or in preaching and in healing. In the synagogue as he preaches, a man with an unclean spirit cries out to him, recognizing his identity as true God and true man, the Holy One of God and Jesus of Nazareth. With a word, Jesus commands the unclean spirit to be quiet and come out of the man. The witnesses of the exorcism recognize, amazed, that Jesus, unlike the scribes, is “a new teaching with authority.” In preaching, he expresses the word of God as the Word incarnate; in healing, he liberates all from the oppression of sin and evil.

God, help me understand the scene from today’s Gospel as it relates to my life today. The source of all truth, Jesus teaches with authority and wisdom unlike any human teaching. The unclean spirit recognizes the divinity of your Son immediately unlike many people in Jesus’ time and even today. What the unclean spirit hated to cry out, aware of its imminent destruction, I say with wonder and faith that is easily shaken: “I know who you are–the Holy One of God!” My Lord and my God, strengthen my faith!

From the Gospel acclamation: “Receive the word of God, not as the word of men, but as it truly is, the word of God.”

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.

Tuesday of the Twenty-second Week in Ordinary Time

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Luke (Lk 4:31-37)

Jesus went down to Capernaum, a town of Galilee. He taught them on the sabbath, and they were astonished at his teaching because he spoke with authority. In the synagogue there was a man with the spirit of an unclean demon, and he cried out in a loud voice, “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!” Jesus rebuked him and said, “Be quiet! Come out of him!” Then the demon threw the man down in front of them and came out of him without doing him any harm.

In the synagogue, a man possessed by a demon calls Jesus by his name and place and also recognizes his divinity, the “Holy One of God.” With a few words, Jesus exorcises the demon, and the man is left unharmed. “Be quiet!” The demon cannot withstand the authority of Jesus and the reality-forming words that he speaks. “Come out of him!” The people who witness this are amazed and say to one another, “What is there about his word?” The spirit knows that Jesus was from Nazareth and raised there. Like the people of Capernaum, the unclean spirit probably also knew that Jesus was the son of Mary and Joseph, a carpenter. And it beheld that at the same time Jesus’ divinity coexisted with his humanity. While the people were amazed, the unclean spirit is convicted in God’s presence and cannot remain standing within it.

Father in heaven, no evil can remain hidden in darkness in the presence of your light. In the relationship of the Trinity, Jesus your Son is “God from God, Light from Light . . . by the power of the Holy Spirit he was born of the Virgin Mary, and became man.” Whenever I am threatened by overpowering darkness, come to my aid to quiet evil in all its manifestations and banish it in the name of Jesus. Through the grace of the sacraments, help me remain in your light. As Saint Paul says in the first reading: “But you, brothers and sisters, are not in darkness, for that day to overtake you like a thief. For all of you are children of the light and children of the day.”

From the responsorial psalm: “The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom should I fear? The LORD is my life’s refuge; of whom should I be afraid?”

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.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eAaVQ82g2C4

Memorial of Saint Benedict, Abbot

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Matthew (Mt 9:32-38)

A demoniac who could not speak was brought to Jesus, and when the demon was driven out the mute man spoke. . . . Jesus went around to all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the Gospel of the Kingdom, and curing every disease and illness. At the sight of the crowds, his heart was moved with pity for them because they were troubled and abandoned, like sheep without a shepherd.

In today’s Gospel, Matthew portrays Jesus’ ministry of healing and proclaiming the kingdom, highlighting his power over evil, his compassion for the suffering, and his desire to bring salvation to all. It also emphasizes the need for more laborers in the mission of the Church and the importance of prayer. He says to the disciples: “The harvest is abundant but the laborers are few; so ask the master of the harvest to send out laborers for his harvest.” As Jesus surveys the crowd, his compassion for them is a model for each of us for how to respond to those in everyday encounters who are troubled and abandoned.

God, help me recognize your Son’s compassion as an invitation to go to him at all times for all things but especially when I feel troubled and abandoned. In response to his heart moved with pity, what greater act of faith is there but in complete trust to receive his mercy? As Saint Paul says of your Son: “So let us confidently approach the throne of grace to receive mercy and to find grace for timely help.”

Thank you, Lord, for the gift of your lovingkindness and mercy. Give me the grace today to come to you without hesitation when I am troubled about even the smallest thing. Saint Benedict, pray for us!

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.

Wednesday of the Thirteenth Week in Ordinary Time

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.