The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today challenge us to examine the root of our exile of some people and our apprehension of foreigners.
Make a friend
The reading from the Book of Genesis describes how Hagar and Ishmael are sent away.
* [21:1–21] The long-awaited birth of Isaac parallels the birth of Ishmael in chap. 16, precipitating a rivalry and expulsion as in that chapter. Though this chapter is unified, the focus of vv. 1–7 is exclusively on Sarah and Isaac, and the focus of vv. 8–21 is exclusively on Hagar and Ishmael. The promise of a son to the barren Sarah and elderly Abraham has been central to the previous chapters and now that promise comes true with the birth of Isaac. The other great promise, that of land, will be resolved, at least in an anticipatory way, in Abraham’s purchase of the cave at Machpelah in chap. 23. The parallel births of the two boys has influenced the Lucan birth narratives of John the Baptist and Jesus (Lk 1–2).1
Psalm 34 offers praise for deliverance from trouble.
* [Psalm 34] A thanksgiving in acrostic form, each line beginning with a successive letter of the Hebrew alphabet. In this Psalm one letter is missing and two are in reverse order. The psalmist, fresh from the experience of being rescued (Ps 34:5, 7), can teach the “poor,” those who are defenseless, to trust in God alone (Ps 34:4, 12). God will make them powerful (Ps 34:5–11) and give them protection (Ps 34:12–22).2
In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus heals the Gadarene demoniacs.
* [8:29] What have you to do with us?: see note on Jn 2:4. Before the appointed time: the notion that evil spirits were allowed by God to afflict human beings until the time of the final judgment is found in Enoch 16:1 and Jubilees 10:7–10.3
Maureen McCann Waldron asks how often do someone else’s gifts stir in us envy and resentment? How quickly do we allow our own contentment and peace to be replaced by a jealousy of something someone else has - real or imagined?
Jesus, with that same unending and unearned love, is here for us, too, to relieve us of our demons. It might be jealousy over someone with more money, fame or honors. It might be the demons of judging others, drinking too much or straying from our vows. No matter how large the demons in our own lives, Jesus stands next to us healing us and giving us strength and his powerful love.4
Don Schwager quotes “Christ is triumphant over the forces of demons,” by Peter Chrysologus (400-450 AD).
"[Jesus] said to them, 'Go!' The foul-smelling animals are delivered up, not at the will of the demons but to show how savage the demons can become against humans. They ardently seek to destroy and dispossess all that is, acts, moves and lives. They seek the death of people. The ancient enmity of deep-rooted wrath and malice is in store for the human race. Demons do not give up easily unless they are forcibly overcome. They are doing the harm they are ordered to do. Therefore the foul-smelling animals are delivered up that it may be made clear to the demons that they have permission to enter the swine but not to enter humans. It is by our vices that we empower them to do harm. Similarly, by our power of faith we tread on the necks of demons. They become subject to us under Christ who is triumphant." (excerpt from SERMONS 16.8)5
The Word Among Us Meditation on Matthew 8:28-34 comments that Jesus, our Messiah, has authority over the parts of our lives that, like those demons, are opposed to the Lord and afraid of his power. Jesus has authority over Satan and his lies and deceptions. He has the power to come and drive out whatever is enticing us to sin. He even has authority over patterns of sinful behavior that we have fought for years to overcome but thought we could never be rid of. Jesus sees it all, and he wants to come to our aid.
So remember to call on the name of Jesus in the midst of temptation, like when you’re fighting the urge to reach for another dessert or when you want to pick a fight with your spouse. Invoke his name when you have doubts about your self-worth and think that God couldn’t possibly love you. Cry out to him when you feel guilty for a sin you’ve already confessed or feel like you are drowning in worry. In those moments, pray, “In the name of Jesus, I renounce this anxiety . . . or evil thought . . . or sinful urge. Jesus, help me!”6
Friar Jude Winkler examines the relationship between Isaac and Ishmael. In Jesus' time, illness was connected to demon possession. Friar Jude notes how the community blamed Jesus for the way the demons killed the swine.
Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, cites the French lawyer and theologian Jacques Ellul (1912–1944) who wrote about Israel and our human tendency to place our trust in kings instead of God. From the outset, it is clear that this new institution is a concession to the weakness of the people: They need to have a visible ruler. YHWH chooses Saul to be their king, but Samuel admonishes them, saying, in effect, “It is all right to have a king, but don’t take him too seriously!”
We often take ourselves too seriously, believing in ourselves rather than in God. Often, our actions do not come from a place of prayer and listening to God, but from what we want to do. Look at the pitiably little fruit of 2,000 years of Christianity, with the systems of injustice in which we have been totally complicit! So much of it has been our thing, our power. God has communicated in a million ways that “I am your power,” but we do not believe and trust what we cannot see or prove. Instead, we bow down to lesser kings (like institutions, nations, wars, ideologies, etc.) that we can see, even when they serve us quite poorly. Thus the entire history of the necessary tension between charism (“authenticity”) and institution (“concretization”) is set in motion. It will become the framework for most religious and spiritual journeys.7
The “we and them” attitude that often develops in the group-think of organizations is countered by the inspiration of the Spirit to see the image of God in all people.
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