Friends, in today’s Gospel, we listened to the story of Jesus healing a man possessed by unclean spirits. Jesus drove the unclean spirits from the possessed man and the unclean spirits came out of the man and into the swine of the town.
When the people of the countryside learned of this, they came, saw the formerly possessed man sitting clothed and in his right mind, and saw their swine dead. Then, the people asked Jesus to depart from them because they were seized with fear.
When Jesus was about to leave, the man who was healed from the possession pleaded with Jesus to remain with him. But Jesus asked him to go home to his family and announce all that the Lord had done for him. However, the man went off to the neighborhood and proclaimed the good news of his encounter with Jesus.
The people of the town asked Jesus to leave because of their fear. The man healed from the unclean spirit asked Jesus to remain with him. What was the difference? The difference was encounter with Christ! The possessed man had an encounter with the Lord and that is what made all the difference.
Have you ever had an encounter with the Lord? Have you encountered the goodness of the Lord in your life? Have you shared this encounter with anyone? If not, for what are you waiting? The best way to bring Christ to people is to share with family and friends your encounter with Jesus and the difference He has made in your life.
Let us pause for a moment and reflect: What is the one way that you can be a messenger of the Lord’s love, mercy, and goodness in your life?
