Friday of the Twenty-seventh Week in Ordinary Time
Optional Memorial of Saint John Henry Newman, Priest and Doctor of the Church
Optional Memorial of Saint Denis, Bishop and Martyr, and his Companions, Martyrs
Optional Memorial of Saint John Leonardi, Priest
It’s worth taking a moment to just sit and think about what a wild scene we have in the Gospel today. Jesus has just driven out a demon, which is an impossible feat for any mere mortal acting on their own power. He relieved some poor, suffering individual from diabolical torment through a show of incredible divine power. But instead of being amazed, impressed, or even simply grateful, the crowd immediately starts trying to figure out how to flip the script on the miracle and use it to discredit the Lord.
We may never publicly come under fire for casting out demons, but we may certainly encounter misunderstanding and even outright hostility for publicly witnessing to the truth of our faith, especially in moments when it’s socially unpopular. In all things, however, Christ has gone first and given us a model to follow. Even when we meet detractors who come after us unfairly or without compassion or understanding, we can recall that Christ himself was attacked by mobs for healing people.
Despite the ingratitude and hostility he encounters, however, Jesus continues to patiently, rationally, and even gently respond to those who are actively seeking his demise. How many of us would continue patiently rationalizing with a rowdy crowd of people who were trying to cancel us for performing a healing work of mercy? And how many of us would be able to keep our cool in the face of such a public, obviously unjust attack aimed at our personal humiliation? Let us pray that the Lord be our strength, security, and our peace in all moments of trial and hardship. May we always have the grace to imitate Christ and act with mercy, charity and understanding, especially to those who do not understand us.