“Be Quiet. Come out of him!”
          As I was reflecting on the gospel story this weekend, I am struck with the fact that the devil or the unclean spirit that possessed the man in the story was able to recognize and know Jesus. It is quite interesting that while the Pharisees and the other ordinary Jews were still figuring out who Jesus was, the devil readily recognizes or knows Jesus. "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!" More than just evidence that Jesus truly had power over them or that goodness will always triumph over evil, this encounter of Jesus with the unclean spirit really shows us that to have a knowledge of Christ doesn’t always translate to a genuine relationship with Him.  The unclean spirit readily recognizes him, but that upfront recognition doesn’t change the way he relates with Christ. The unclean spirit still stood opposed to the truth that Christ brings. So, if knowledge or understanding about God doesn’t always bring about an authentic relationship with him or doesn’t always prove our love for God, what does? This question brings to mind what Cardinal George, the former Archbishop of Portland, said one time about what it truly means to be a follower of God. He said, “Orthodoxy is necessary to follow Christ but it is not enough; the devil is orthodox. He knows the Catechism or the Scriptures better than anybody in this room; but the devil will not serve, the devil will not obey.”  This really captures the central tenet of what faith is all about. To have faith does mean being able to quote the verses of the Scriptures faster than the speed of the light or being able to explain with finesse and profundity the complex theological questions of faith (these are all good and impressive) but, if our knowledge of God doesn’t lead us to service to others, if it doesn’t bring us a greater compassion to those who are in need, if it doesn’t inspire us to become a better person, if it doesn’t move us to improve our relationships at home or at work – then all that we know about God is reduced to good ideas and concepts that have no significance to our own realities. Our God is a person who is alive and who relates; our God is not an idea – he is not a concept to be pondered upon – but more real than anything else that we can conceive, he is a God who brings renewed hope and who strengthens us to be the best we can be just like what he did to the man who was possessed with unclean spirit. When he freed that man from the possession of the unclean spirit, it was an act of service that stems from his knowledge of who he is and why he was sent by the Father to this world. In short, it was an act of obedience to the will of God the Father. One might say that when Jesus commanded the unclean spirit to be quiet and to come out from the man, the unclean spirit obeyed him.  But this kind of obedience was out of fear and trepidation because the unclean spirit knew that Jesus could destroy him right there at that instant.  In our obedience to faith or to what the Church teaches, what is ultimately the motivating force behind it? What’s the main reason why we practice our faith? It is important for us to ask that question from time to time. Am I here because I fear the reality of hell? Is it because of the promise of the reward of heaven? Is it because I feel entertained? Is it simply because I am being nice to my spouse? Is it because it is a requirement for my confirmation class? Or, is it because I have personally encountered Christ in this faith journey and couldn’t possibly envision a life without God as the center of everything that I aspire and do? Whatever the motivations may be, the invitation is to purify them every single day so that we can fully experience the joy of being part of who God is and for us to realize what God wants us to be. Personally, it helps me so much to be faithful to my vocation as a priest when I renew every single day my commitment with Him and to the Church because at times questions arise like, “Why am I here, Lord? What am I doing here, Lord?”  Things are not always easy; there are lots of things outside that might point us in a different direction other than the Gospel of Life.  That is why we have to always purify our own intentions in following him so that we keep our focus on the person of Christ. In the end, we are here because we have experienced the saving love of God. Throughout the gospel of Mark, amidst the continual teaching and miracle-working of Jesus, the question lingers:  Who is this man?  This continues until, at the moment of his death on the cross, another unlikely voice reveals Jesus’ identity:  the Roman soldier who sees Jesus die calls out:  “Truly this man was the Son of God!”
          We can admire the teachings of Jesus.  And why not?  They have had a major influence on the western world and much beyond.  We can marvel at the miracles described in the gospels.  But do we really grasp and abide in the truth of WHO HE IS?  Jesus, not merely a “good man” or the “best of men,” but the Holy One of God, the Son of God!
          I would like to end this homily with a prayer of St. Francis Xavier that summarizes everything what I have been trying to say in this homily: “O God I Love you, not simply to be saved, and not because those who fail to love you will be punished with eternal fire. You, you, my Jesus, have all-embraced me on the cross.  You have borne the nails, the lance, much ignominy,
numberless griefs, sweatings and anguish, and death, and these on account of me and for me, a sinner. Why therefore, should I not love you, O, most loving Jesus?  Not that in heaven you shall save me, nor lest for eternity you shall condemn me; not with the hope of any reward, but as you have loved me, so also will I love you, only because you are my King, and because you are my God.”
          This prayer will only make sense if we can free ourselves from those unclean spirits that continue to possess us in one way or another. What are those “spirits” that continue to possess us and enslave us, which hinder us to fully enter into communion with God? Spirit of pride? Spirit of Envy? Hardness of Heart? Spirit of Addiction? The list can go on and on. Jesus commands those spirits in the same words that he used when he cured the possessed man, “Be quiet. Come out of him.”
– Fr. Cary