DELIVERANCE FROM A TOMB LIFE, By Oluwafemi Victor Orilua, CSSp

HOMILY OF MONDAY OF THE FOURTH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME

Heb11:32-40, Mk 5:1-20

THEME: DELIVERANCE FROM A TOMB LIFE

The condition of the demoniac in our today’s gospel depicts a state of insecurity. A tomb is a fearful zone. It’s a metaphor for a tensed society or environment. This man was possessed by evil spirits which caused him to inflict wounds on himself. And nobody was able to bind him because the spirits in him made him unfit to get help.

Likewise, we live in a society where people are faced with issues of insecurity, injustice, corruption and all kinds of ills that can demobilize them of their rightful thinking faculty. Some of the government policies also create a tomblike atmosphere, whereby people find it somewhat hard to breathe freely. In such kind of conditions, no one can lay claim to perfect sanity safe God.

Moreover, in unsure society where resources are limited, man becomes woe to man. And when he has graduated from directing his anger towards others, he begins to turn it inward and becomes self-destructive. It is a clear fact that when human vitality is stiffened and joy becomes a scarce commodity, Satan sees an open door for his operations. He cracks people’s mental faculty in order to leave them in a depraved mind.

In such a tomblike society where human life suffocates daily, it takes only God to restore our sanity and give us a taste of eternity.

“Catching the sight of Jesus from a distance, he ran up and prostrated himself before him, crying out in a loud voice, what have you to do with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God?” When no one could hold him, mere sight of Jesus was enough to begin his deliverance process.

Saint Paul, writing in his Letter to the Philippians 2:10, states, “That in the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those that are in heaven, on earth, and under the earth”

Hence, amid the world’s confusions and miseries, Jesus remains a perfect answer. We can cast our gaze on him today. Let’s bow before him. We can cry out to him. We are more precious to him than thousands of swine. He wants to restore us back to perfect health. He wants to restore the joy of our families. He wants to give back our life again.

May all that seek to kill our joy, may all that bent on destroying us bow at the feet of Jesus. Amen.