Monday of Week 4 in Ordinary Time
2 Sam 15:13-14, 30;16;5-13
Mk 5:1-20
With that, the unclean spirits came out and went into the pigs, and the herd of about two thousand pigs charged down the cliff into the lake, and there they were drowned.
I am a huge fan of the American TV series ‘Supernatural‘. about 2 brothers who inherit the family business of hunting down supernatural evil beings and sending demons back to hell (pro tip: Seasons 1 to 5 are the best). It was a great series as it was horror but not too terrifying, and it had elements of mythology and folklore as well as the demonic, all of which I had an interest in. In case anyone reading is worried, it was a healthy interest, from a very, very safe distance. I have watched enough horror movies to know not to intentionally and personally dabble in anything supernatural, whether or not I believed them to be true. Like I mentioned before, I went through phases, and this was one of them.
Anyway, in Supernatural, and many other horror movies, there are several instances of demonic possession. In each case, the possessed is usually cool as a cucumber until the demon leaves their bodies, and they are left as the wreck they have become, mentally and physically. Other times, the possessed are driven to do unspeakably vile and horrifying things to themselves. They almost always meet a gruesome end. The passage from the Gospel about the herd of swine launching themselves into the sea with great violence, is particularly visceral. Yes, it is violent — this deliberate and unexplainable destruction of life which happens when evil takes over is violent, unnatural, abhorrent.
Demonic influence can be external or internal. And demonic influence is real, and possibly getting more frequent. External influences can happen when you put yourself at risk with unrepentant sinful behaviour. Such an influence, if left unchecked, can wear away your spiritual defences, leaving you open to an internal influence — possession. We can certainly try to put up defences against demonic attacks. However, the trouble is that demonic influence is not always easily recognised as what it is, especially today.
Many of us walk the thin line between right and wrong. We make excuses for our behaviour and say that no one is really getting hurt. Indeed, no one is getting hurt if we park illegally for a little while. No one gets hurt if we don’t say anything about being undercharged at a restaurant. No one gets hurt if we say ‘finders keepers, losers weepers’ (unless it is something valuable). Unless we are absolutely scrupulous, we would have committed some of these little misdeeds. I suppose at this point, it is still easy to stop and not escalate to actually harming people. But what if we cannot stop?
It is frighteningly easy to slip deeper and deeper into sin if we do not watch ourselves closely. As humans, we are weak, and we are disposed to sinful behaviour, especially so when we have been given free will to choose. To compound the problem, it is increasingly common for evil to be marketed as a good thing, as a human right, as personal freedom. It is difficult, albeit not impossible, to choose the right thing to do, so many of us end up tempted to take the easy way out. If we have a well-formed conscience, fear of God and fear of punishment can help guide us away from mortal sin. But for some who have hardened their hearts, they sink deeper into the lure of evil.
While this slipping deeper into sin can be gradual, even gentle enough to go unnoticed, its effect is jarring and shocking when it becomes apparent. And this is not to mention the spiritual attack that has happened on a person’s soul. And it usually does not end well. I can only imagine the scene of the herd of possessed swine throwing themselves off a cliff into the sea, and the horror that comes with witnessing something so inexplicably destructive. It is also very dramatic, and unimaginable for many of us today. But this is not something we brush off because it is improbable — demonic influence exists and is on the rise. We could do well to guard against it.
Another thing that struck me about this gospel passage is the part about the possessed man having lived among the tombs. This reminds me of the CS Lewis book, “The Horse and His Boy” from the Narnia Chronicles. At one point, the boy Shasta, had to spend a night all alone at the tombs located just beyond the city. The tombs were said to be haunted and Shasta was terrified. To make matters worse, he heard the cry of wild animals nearby. However, a cat appeared to keep him company and to keep him warm. The cat also somehow turned into a lion (which Shasta initially thought was going to eat him) which chased the wild animals away. Readers familiar with Narnia would know this cat/lion was Aslan, the Christ figure in Lewis’ books. That’s right. Even when we feel all alone in the depths of hell, God is there with us, and he will get us through that dark night. Demonic influence is powerful, but God is more powerful.
We will, at times, lose our footing and fall prey to the devil. We need to always be on guard, to suit up with the armour of God. We also must remember that it is never too late to turn back to God, no matter how far we have strayed, and how badly we have sinned.
(Today’s OXYGEN by Felicia Zou)
Prayer: Saint Michael the Archangel, defend us in the day of battle. Be our safeguard against the wickedness and snares of the devil. May God rebuke him, we humbly pray, and do thou, O Prince of the heavenly hosts, by the power of God, cast into hell Satan and all the evil spirits, who prowl through the world seeking the ruin of souls. Amen.
Thanksgiving: Dear Lord, we thank You for always lighting our way, even as we choose to walk in darkness.
OXYGEN 
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