OUTCASTS ARE PEOPLE

July 5, 2023

Wednesday of the Thirteenth Week in Ordinary Time

OUTCASTS ARE PEOPLE    

Introduction

God fulfilled at least a bit of his promise to Abraham, that in him, the families of the earth would be blessed. Ishmael, the son of the slave girl, would not inherit the promises made to Abraham, but God took pity on this outcast and made him the ancestor of nomadic Bedouin tribes.

Jesus takes pity on people considered possessed by the devil, outcasts of little value to their pagan fellow citizens, who are more concerned about the loss of their pigs than over the cure of these outcasts. This text is difficult to understand unless we pay attention to the underlying theme of impurity. The outcasts from whom Jesus will exorcise demons live in an impure place, a cemetery; the demons are driven out into pigs, an unclean animals for the Jews. The pagans of the region do not yet recognize Jesus and this seems to indicate that the story is symbolic of times still to come: evil is still rampant. But in any case, the power of Jesus is already working.

Opening Prayer

Lord our God,
Your Son, Jesus Christ, took pity
on people rejected by their society
and restored them as human beings.
Never allow us to judge anyone
and to reject people from our communities.
Make us leave the judgment to you
for you alone know what is going on
in the hearts of people.
Make us mild and compassionate
through Jesus Christ, our Lord.

Intentions

–   For the Church, that like our God, it may care for those who are least favored and least loved, so that the Gospel may be good news to them, we pray:

–   For governments and public officials, that they may not tolerate favoritism or discrimination of any kind and that they may defend the oppressed and restore their rights, we pray:

–   For those considered outcasts by “respectable” society, that we may not judge them, but that our goodness, respect and understanding may help them to integrate themselves in our communities, we pray:

Prayer over the Gifts

Lord, loving God,
your Son Jesus, died on the cross
as an outcast deserted by his people,
but that was the way in which he saved us.
Let this offering of bread and wine express
that we are one with Jesus,
and that with him, we accept people
the way you accept them and want to save them.
We ask this through Christ, our Lord.

Prayer after Communion

God our Father,
you have let us share the table of your Son
and let us join him in giving praise and thanks to you.
By his power, we want to continue
giving you honor and thanks
with the whole of our everyday lives
through deeds of justice, love
and endless compassion for people
who lose their struggle with the difficulties of life.
We ask this through Jesus Christ, our Lord.

Blessing

“Let justice flow like water, and righteousness like an ever flowing stream.” If we can be just and good, the Lord will listen to us and accept our offering, for then, it will be part of the sacrifice of Jesus. May God bless you, the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

Reflection:

5 July 2023

Matthew 8:28-34

Healing comes from giving up your comforts

One way or another, the Gospel readings these days discuss the risks involved in going into unfamiliar places and situations. There is something comforting about sticking to what we know, to what feels safe and familiar to us. Together with the disciples, Jesus travels to the pagan territory of Gadara. A Gentile territory was the scene of the incident; the presence of pigs and tombs, both sources of uncleanliness, confirmed that the Jews would not have preferred that location. But why did Jesus go to this unclean territory? There was no Jewish community; Jesus and his disciples had no acquaintance in the region. Moreover, the first entry of Jesus and his disciples is into the place of the people possessed by demons – the tombs.

Clearly, the Gentile territories identified the context of the Roman empire as under the control of demons. Unquestionably, they were fierce. In an attempt to gain control over Jesus, they called him man of God. 

The people of Gadara lived very quietly. They had the problem of the demoniacs, but they had them chained in the cemetery. The people of Gadara may have desired freedom from demon possession, but not at the expense of their wealth, comfort, and security. Matthew suggests that Jesus could not do anything else besides healing those two demoniacs in this region. After this, he was forced to leave the region. 

The pigs’ abrupt rush to the lake and their drowning in it was reminiscent of Israel’s defeat of its former oppressor, Egypt, and the certainty of God’s liberating action. But what Jesus does is not appreciated by the gentiles. Matthew makes it clear that the Gentile citizens of the town did not want liberation. As happens so often with oppressive regimes, those who were oppressed colluded in their own oppression. The price of freedom seemed too much. They were still worried about losing their wealth. That’s why they wanted him to leave the country. 

Despite being somewhat demonised, we still prefer the advantages of security and wealth, which bring us comfort, status, and pleasure, and we do not want Jesus to enter those areas. Can we identify them? The Lord wants to heal us, provided we are willing to give up the demonised areas of our pleasures and comforts zones.

Healing comes from giving up your comforts - Youtube