Meditation of the Day

Have you ever noticed how easy it can be to take your view of the world and
impose it on Scripture?

Take today's Gospel reading. It's not very fashionable to talk about demons.
Many people feel uncomfortable with such "primitive" concepts, so they try
to find other ways to explain this story. Maybe these two people were
mentally disturbed, or maybe they suffered from a severe form of
epilepsy-anything that can be explained, and therefore controlled, in
scientific, human terms.

But if we find that our view of reality is different from the biblical
approach, our safest response is to compare our view with what we read in
biblical commentaries or the Catechism. We should always approach the word
of God with an attitude of respect, trust, and a willingness to be taught by
the Lord. We should always be willing to examine our thoughts and attitudes
to see if they conform to the way God wants us to think and live.

Today's reading is a case in point. There is much we can learn if we accept
the fact that there really is a demonic realm and that demons really do have
the ability to influence people. It doesn't mean that we have to accept
every depiction of demonic activity in books or movies. But it does mean
that the devil may well have had a hand in shaping some of the attitudes in
our hearts. He is not above meddling in our lives, even to the point of
introducing thoughts into our minds-temptations that seek to lead us away
from Jesus.

So how can we discern where our thoughts come from? By making sure that the
Holy Spirit is ministering to our consciences as we pray and celebrate the
sacraments. If that is happening, then the thoughts that have an evil origin
will unsettle us and make us anxious. By contrast, the thoughts that come
from the Spirit will fill us with peace and assurance. God wants to form us.
He wants to open our eyes. All he needs is our cooperation.

"Come, Holy Spirit, and fill me with the mind of Christ."