“Without Doing Any Harm” by Melanie Rigney

“Without Doing Any Harm” by Melanie Rigney

Tuesday of the Twenty-second Week in Ordinary Time

The Spirit scrutinizes everything, even the depths of God. Among men, who knows what pertains to the man except that his Spirit is within? Similarly, no one knows what pertains to God except the Spirit of God. (1 Corinthians 2:10-11) 

The Lord is just in all his ways. (Psalm 145:17)

Jesus rebuked (the man with the Spirit of an unclean demon) and said, “Be quiet! Come out of him!” Then the demon threw down the man in front of them and came out of him without doing him any harm. (Luke 4:35)

Piety

Lord, cast out my demons.

Study

They are so visual, those words from Luke 4 about Jesus casting out the unclean demon. We can see Jesus issuing the command, and the demon discarding like so much garbage what had been his host body, then departing.

But perhaps the most important part of the verse comes at the end: All this happened with no harm to the man. Why? Because God was with him all the time.

Who knows what evil the demon had wrought while he was in the man? Mental anguish and disturbance? Violence? Words that cut deep into those around him? Surely, there was work yet to be done, whether it was internal or external healing and penance. But the demon could not destroy the man’s very essence, his Spirit.

Think about the person you know personally or feel you know through our celebrity-of-the-second culture whom you find most difficult to love. You may struggle not to hate this person actively. Perhaps you find it easier to consider that an unclean demon may inhabit her or him. But can you summon up the faith to believe that the Spirit of God still resides in that host body, that at the core, the person is ripe for redemption and in need of your love if not your acceptance? Give it a try, even for an hour. If her or his demon doesn’t come out, perhaps yours will. 

Action

Ask Jesus to cast out your demons, in particular, those you are too blind to see.

 

Image Credit: Fotorech/Pixabay, https://pixabay.com/photos/sky-freedom-happiness-relieved-2667455/