The theme of Ordinary Time is often stated as counting the cost of discipleship. In today’s Gospel passage from St. Matthew, we have an example of what it might cost to follow Jesus. The people of this territory, upon learning that Jesus had cast out some demons bringing about the death of their herd of swine, simply ask Jesus to leave. They could simply be saying, “Jesus, we cannot afford to have you stick around here.”
Welcoming Jesus into our midst does come at a cost. Just this past Sunday, we heard Jesus tell us that we cannot be his disciples without accepting the cross that we have been given and following him to Calvary. Our relationship with Jesus must be stronger than even our relationships with mother, father, brother, sister, children or spouse.
The same can be said of the Israelites who entered into a covenant relationship with God at Sinai. They did not stop to count the cost. They seem to have been attracted to the covenant by the ritual and the priestly garments and by the sacrifices. These outward signs of their relationship with God would have caused wonder among them and among their neighbors. However, they failed to note that God wanted more than outward show. God wanted inner conversion. Doing ceremonial things is easier than following the inner witness to seek good and avoid evil. The Gadarenes display a wariness of the Lord, keeping him at a distance because they fear what it might cost them, without recognizing that he alone is good. When we sin by suppressing the call to goodness, we deform our inner selves. Thanks be to God that the inner sense He implanted within us is still there, making us uncomfortable with our bad choices, drawing us to repentance!
Fr. Lawrence Jagdfeld, O.F.M., Administrator