Thereupon, the whole town came out to meet Jesus, and when they saw him, they begged him to leave their district.

This is one of the more interesting passages in Matthew’s Gospel, not only in the cure of the two possessed men, but in the aftermath. The people in the town ask, no beg, Jesus to leave. All because the person next door lost his herd of pigs when Jesus, with one word, sent the demons into the herd. The people preferred pigs to Jesus.

This might not be the most crucial part of the story. It gives us much to reflect on today, however. We have a person doing good (driving the demons out of those two possessed men) who is told that he is not welcome by the very people he has come to grace with his presence. Was it because of their fear of Jesus’ unknown powers? Or simply fear of the unknown? Or perhaps they just had no idea of what Jesus might ask of them, and they were too afraid to find out!

While we might feel sorry for their missed opportunities, we should look to ourselves to see how often we do the same thing. We may not banish the Lord from our towns, our churches, or our homes, but we effectively keep him out of our lives ignore some of the demands he makes on us: to forgive, to love our neighbor, to reach out to the poor, the lonely, the outcast—and the list goes on. The Eucharist we celebrate faces us with a Jesus who willingly gives his life for us all. He gave himself completely.

Can we say we have invited Jesus into our lives if we are not willing to pour ourselves out for those less fortunate than ourselves?

Let Us Pray:

O loving Jesus, may I never ask you to leave my town or my heart. May I strive a bit more each day to allow you to drive out of me whatever bedevils me and let you guide all my actions.