Fr Robert Hendrickson

Dear Friends in Christ,

In the lectionary today, we find Jesus expelling demons from a man possessed by a legion of them.

One of the crucial aspects of this passage is the naming of the demons. In historical rites of exorcism, whether Christian or from other traditions, the naming of the demon is considered necessary to expel it.

It’s important, indeed necessary, for Christians to recognize and name the forces that are claiming our hearts and souls. For us to be rid of them, a kind of clarity must be reached. 

Each of us is beset by these kinds of voices and forces. Day by day we are pulled and tugged and pawed at by them — almost pulling us apart. This is what evil does at its most ardent. It pulls us apart, bit by bit, until it’s impossible to remember what it looks like to be whole again.

The man in the Gospel today names this occupation “Legion” for they were many. Jesus drives them all out and leaves him standing there, him and Jesus, whole and together in a moment of peace.

What voices or forces are pulling at you — pulling you apart — and can you name them? How might an encounter with Jesus, offering liberation from them, change us? One of the most powerful parts of living in community is that others can remind us who we are even when we’ve forgotten. They can be the voice of Christ calling us back to who we are meant to be.

Who are you at your best? Not at your most productive or useful or the like — who are you at your best? Chances are that your best looks like Jesus — forgiving, reconciling, healing, and restoring.

The good news is that the voices of Legion flee at the presence of the voice of Christ. May his voice lead us back to ourselves in a time of division and distraction.

Yours in Christ,

Fr Robert