Wednesday of Week 13 Year 1

What does it mean to be possessed by an evil spirit? Some people think that a person behaving strangely or displaying weird antics is crazy or even possessed by an evil spirit. Some people think that they have the so-called power and authority to drive away such evil spirits from others. What these people often fail to realise is that not every person behaving strangely or displaying weird antics is necessarily possessed by some evil spirit, since sometimes the person could be suffering from some sickness or mental condition which could cause such behaviour. Also, if a person is suspected to be possessed, not just any Tom, Dick or Sally can attempt to drive the evil spirit out, since what we could be dealing with here is not just any ordinary thing. In other words, don't play play when it comes to evil spirits.

In today's Gospel, Jesus drove away devils from two demoniacs with little resistance. It is interesting to note that the devils actually pleaded with Jesus to be cast out into a herd of pigs instead of Jesus casting them out and sending them to a fate far worse. Jesus was merciful enough to grant them their request. Jesus is God and He can easily drive devils away. But for the rest of us, we should not straight away jump into conclusions that a person is possessed, since there are certain procedures to be followed and one should consult the bishop of the diocese to determine the next course of action. Casting out devils and evil spirits is not a task which anyone can do, since it requires extensive preparations, including much prayer and fasting. If we are not properly disposed, prepared and ready, it is best we refrain from attempting such things, since we ourselves could be possessed, or cause more complications to others and even to ourselves, or some could be quite badly injured, or even face the possibility of death. Ultimately, let us check our intentions. Are we casting out evil spirits to show how great we are, for our personal gratification, or to feed our ego? Or are we truly, humbly and cautiously doing so for the greater glory of God?