"Mark's Gospel tells a particularly striking healing story, that of a
man suffering a fate worse than death. This man is 'possessed with an
impure spirit,' and he has no name and no identity.
Something horrifying happened to this man, and his mind, body, and
spirit have been overthrown. He has little, if any, control over himself
and instead reacts to forces outside his power to master. This man,
made in God’s own image, can no longer see that image in himself nor in
anyone or anything else. All he sees is darkness and nothingness. All he
hears are lies and hostile voices in his head. All he feels is rage,
pain, and humiliation. . . . How he
survives is unknown. All we know is this hopeless man is incapable of
being fully human as God intended.
"It is here that Jesus enters into this situation. He does not run
away. He does not assault, torment, or ignore the man. Instead, Jesus
carefully reaches through the spiritual smog surrounding the man and
seeks to bring him back to life. Jesus helps the man to recognize
himself, to know his own history and family, and to remember that he is a
child of God. . . .
"Understandably, the man wants to leave this experience behind. He
recognizes that Jesus is different and seeks to follow him, to sit at
his feet. The townspeople also want to forget. They are amazed and
frightened by Jesus and the cleansed man. They want both to move on. So
the man asks Jesus if he can come with him.
"But Jesus refuses to let the man come with him. Instead, he instructs
the man, 'Go home to your own people and tell them how much the Lord
has done for you, and how he has had mercy on you.' . . ."
In a recent commentary, writer Kevin P. Considine reflected on how this man became an unofficial apostle of Jesus.
To access Dr. Considine's complete essay, please visit:
U.S. Catholic: The unofficial apostle of Christ (August 2019)
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