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From: Matthew 8:28-34

The Demoniacs of Gadara


[28] And when He (Jesus) came to the other side, to the country of the Gada-
renes, two demoniacs met Him coming out of the tombs, so fierce that no one
could pass that way. [29] And behold, they cried out, “What have You to do
with us, O Son of God? Have You come here to torment us before the time?”
[30] Now a herd of many swine was feeding at some distance from them. [31]
And the demons begged Him, “If You cast us out, send us away into the herd
of swine.” [32] And He said to them, “Go.” So they came out and went into the
swine; and behold, the whole herd rushed down the steep bank into the sea,
and perished in the waters. [33] The herdsmen fled, and going into the city they
told everything, and what had happened to the demoniacs. [34] And behold, all
the city came out to meet Jesus; and when they saw Him, they begged Him to
leave their neighborhood.

*********************************************************************************************
Commentary:

28. Most Gospel codices and the New Vulgate say “Gadarenes”; but the Vul-
gate and parallel texts in Mark and Luke have “Gerasenes”. Both names are
possible; the two main towns in the area were Gerasa and Gadara. The event
reported here could have happened close to both towns (limits were not very
well defined), though the swine running down into the lake or sea of Galilee
makes Gadara somewhat more likely. “Gergesenes” was a suggestion put for-
ward by Origen.

28-34. In this episode Jesus once more shows His power over the devil. That it
occurred in Gentile territory (Gerasa and Gadara were in the Decapolis, east of
Jordan) is borne out by the fact that Jews were forbidden to raise swine, which
the Law of Moses declared to be unclean. This and other instances of expul-
sion of demons narrated in the Gospel are referred to in the Acts of the Apos-
tles, when St. Peter addressed Cornelius and his household: “He went about
doing good and healing all that were oppressed by the devil” (Acts 10:38). It
was a sign that the Kingdom of God had begun (cf. Matthew 12:28).

The attitude of local people towards this miracle reminds us that meeting God
and living a Christian life require us to subordinate personal plans to God’s de-
signs. If we have a selfish or materialistic outlook we fail to appreciate the va-
lue of divine things and push God out of our lives, begging Him to go away, as
these people did.

*********************************************************************************************
Source: “The Navarre Bible: Text and Commentaries”. Biblical text from the
Revised Standard Version and New Vulgate. Commentaries by members of
the Faculty of Theology, University of Navarre, Spain.

Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock, Co. Dublin, Ireland, and
by Scepter Publishers in the United States.


5 posted on 07/03/2012 7:16:54 PM PDT by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)
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To: All
Scripture readings taken from the Jerusalem Bible, published and copyright © 1966, 1967 and 1968 by Darton, Longman & Todd

Mass Readings


First reading Amos 5:14-15,21-24 ©
Seek good and not evil
so that you may live,
and that the Lord, God of Hosts, may really be with you
as you claim he is.
Hate evil, love good,
maintain justice at the city gate,
and it may be that the Lord, God of Hosts, will take pity
on the remnant of Joseph.
I hate and despise your feasts,
I take no pleasure in your solemn festivals.
When you offer me holocausts,
I reject your oblations,
and refuse to look at your sacrifices of fattened cattle.
Let me have no more of the din of your chanting,
no more of your strumming on harps.
But let justice flow like water,
and integrity like an unfailing stream.

Psalm Psalm 49:7-13,16-17 ©
I will show God’s salvation to the upright.
‘Listen, my people, I will speak;
  Israel, I will testify against you,
for I am God, your God.
  I accuse you, lay the charge before you.
I will show God’s salvation to the upright.
‘I find no fault with your sacrifices,
  your offerings are always before me.
I do not ask more bullocks from your farms,
  nor goats from among your herds.
I will show God’s salvation to the upright.
‘I own all the beasts of the forest,
  beasts in their thousands on my hills.
I know all the birds in the sky,
  all that moves in the field belongs to me.
I will show God’s salvation to the upright.
‘Were I hungry, I would not tell you,
  for I own the world and all it holds.
Do you think I eat the flesh of bulls,
  or drink the blood of goats?
I will show God’s salvation to the upright.
‘How can you recite my commandments
  and take my covenant on your lips,
you who despise my law
  and throw my words to the winds?’
I will show God’s salvation to the upright.

Gospel Acclamation Jn14:6
Alleluia, alleluia!
I am the Way, the Truth and the Life, says the Lord;
No one can come to the Father except through me.
Alleluia!
Or James1:18
Alleluia, alleluia!
By his own choice the Father made us his children
by the message of the truth,
so that we should be a sort of first-fruits
of all that he created.
Alleluia!

Gospel Matthew 8:28-34 ©
When Jesus reached the country of the Gadarenes on the other side, two demoniacs came towards him out of the tombs – creatures so fierce that no one could pass that way. They stood there shouting, ‘What do you want with us, Son of God? Have you come here to torture us before the time?’ Now some distance away there was a large herd of pigs feeding, and the devils pleaded with Jesus, ‘If you cast us out, send us into the herd of pigs.’ And he said to them, ‘Go then’, and they came out and made for the pigs; and at that the whole herd charged down the cliff into the lake and perished in the water. The swineherds ran off and made for the town, where they told the whole story, including what had happened to the demoniacs. At this the whole town set out to meet Jesus; and as soon as they saw him they implored him to leave the neighbourhood.

6 posted on 07/03/2012 7:21:39 PM PDT by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)
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