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Mark
	English: Douay-Rheims	Latin: Vulgata Clementina	Greek NT: Byzantine/Majority Text (2000)
	Mark 5
1.	AND they came over the strait of the sea into the country of the Gerasens.	Et venerunt trans fretum maris in regionem Gerasenorum.	και ηλθον εις το περαν της θαλασσης εις την χωραν των γαδαρηνων
2.	And as he went out of the ship, immediately there met him out of the monuments a man with an unclean spirit,	Et exeunti ei de navi, statim occurrit de monumentis homo in spiritu immundo,	και εξελθοντι αυτω εκ του πλοιου ευθεως απηντησεν αυτω εκ των μνημειων ανθρωπος εν πνευματι ακαθαρτω
3.	Who had his dwelling in the tombs, and no man now could bind him, not even with chains.	qui domicilium habebat in monumentis, et neque catenis jam quisquam poterat eum ligare :	ος την κατοικησιν ειχεν εν τοις μνημασιν και ουτε αλυσεσιν ουδεις εδυνατο αυτον δησαι
4.	For having been often bound with fetters and chains, he had burst the chains, and broken the fetters in pieces, and no one could tame him.	quoniam sæpe compedibus et catenis vinctus, dirupisset catenas, et compedes comminuisset, et nemo poterat eum domare :	δια το αυτον πολλακις πεδαις και αλυσεσιν δεδεσθαι και διεσπασθαι υπ αυτου τας αλυσεις και τας πεδας συντετριφθαι και ουδεις αυτον ισχυεν δαμασαι
5.	And he was always day and night in the monuments and in the mountains, crying and cutting himself with stones.	et semper die ac nocte in monumentis, et in montibus erat, clamans, et concidens se lapidibus.	και δια παντος νυκτος και ημερας εν τοις ορεσιν και εν τοις μνημασιν ην κραζων και κατακοπτων εαυτον λιθοις
6.	And seeing Jesus afar off, he ran and adored him.	Videns autem Jesum a longe, cucurrit, et adoravit eum :	ιδων δε τον ιησουν απο μακροθεν εδραμεν και προσεκυνησεν αυτω
7.	And crying with a loud voice, he said: What have I to do with thee, Jesus the Son of the most high God? I adjure thee by God that thou torment me not.	et clamans voce magna dixit : Quid mihi et tibi, Jesu Fili Dei altissimi ? adjuro te per Deum, ne me torqueas.	και κραξας φωνη μεγαλη ειπεν τι εμοι και σοι ιησου υιε του θεου του υψιστου ορκιζω σε τον θεον μη με βασανισης
8.	For he said unto him: Go out of the man, thou unclean spirit.	Dicebat enim illi : Exi spiritus immunde ab homine.	ελεγεν γαρ αυτω εξελθε το πνευμα το ακαθαρτον εκ του ανθρωπου
9.	And he asked him: What is thy name? And he saith to him: My name is Legion, for we are many.	Et interrogabat eum : Quod tibi nomen est ? Et dicit ei : Legio mihi nomen est, quia multi sumus.	και επηρωτα αυτον τι σοι ονομα και απεκριθη λεγων λεγεων ονομα μοι οτι πολλοι εσμεν
10.	And he besought him much, that he would not drive him away out of the country.	Et deprecabatur eum multum, ne se expelleret extra regionem.	και παρεκαλει αυτον πολλα ινα μη αυτους αποστειλη εξω της χωρας
11.	And there was there near the mountain a great herd of swine, feeding.	Erat autem ibi circa montem grex porcorum magnus, pascens.	ην δε εκει προς τω ορει αγελη χοιρων μεγαλη βοσκομενη
12.	And the spirits besought him, saying: Send us into the swine, that we may enter into them.	Et deprecabantur eum spiritus, dicentes : Mitte nos in porcos ut in eos introëamus.	και παρεκαλεσαν αυτον παντες οι δαιμονες λεγοντες πεμψον ημας εις τους χοιρους ινα εις αυτους εισελθωμεν
13.	And Jesus immediately gave them leave. And the unclean spirits going out, entered into the swine: and the herd with great violence was carried headlong into the sea, being about two thousand, and were stifled in the sea.	Et concessit eis statim Jesus. Et exeuntes spiritus immundi introierunt in porcos : et magno impetu grex præcipitatus est in mare ad duo millia, et suffocati sunt in mari.	και επετρεψεν αυτοις ευθεως ο ιησους και εξελθοντα τα πνευματα τα ακαθαρτα εισηλθον εις τους χοιρους και ωρμησεν η αγελη κατα του κρημνου εις την θαλασσαν ησαν δε ως δισχιλιοι και επνιγοντο εν τη θαλασση
14.	And they that fed them fled, and told it in the city and in the fields. And they went out to see what was done:	Qui autem pascebant eos, fugerunt, et nuntiaverunt in civitatem et in agros. Et egressi sunt videre quid esset factum :	οι δε βοσκοντες τους χοιρους εφυγον και ανηγγειλαν εις την πολιν και εις τους αγρους και εξηλθον ιδειν τι εστιν το γεγονος
15.	And they came to Jesus, and they see him that was troubled with the devil, sitting, clothed, and well in his wits, and they were afraid.	et veniunt ad Jesum : et vident illum qui a dæmonio vexabatur, sedentem, vestitum, et sanæ mentis, et timuerunt.	και ερχονται προς τον ιησουν και θεωρουσιν τον δαιμονιζομενον καθημενον και ιματισμενον και σωφρονουντα τον εσχηκοτα τον λεγεωνα και εφοβηθησαν
16.	And they that had seen it, told them, in what manner he had been dealt with who had the devil; and concerning the swine.	Et narraverunt illis, qui viderant, qualiter factum esset ei qui dæmonium habuerat, et de porcis.	διηγησαντο δε αυτοις οι ιδοντες πως εγενετο τω δαιμονιζομενω και περι των χοιρων
17.	And they began to pray him that he would depart from their coasts.	Et rogare cœperunt eum ut discederet de finibus eorum.	και ηρξαντο παρακαλειν αυτον απελθειν απο των οριων αυτων
18.	And when he went up into the ship, he that had been troubled with the devil, began to beseech him that he might be with him.	Cumque ascenderet navim, cœpit illum deprecari, qui a dæmonio vexatus fuerat, ut esset cum illo,	και εμβαντος αυτου εις το πλοιον παρεκαλει αυτον ο δαιμονισθεις ινα η μετ αυτου
19.	And he admitted him not, but saith to him: Go into thy house to thy friends, and tell them how great things the Lord hath done for thee, and hath had mercy on thee.	et non admisit eum, sed ait illi : Vade in domum tuam ad tuos, et annuntia illis quanta tibi Dominus fecerit, et misertus sit tui.	ο δε ιησους ουκ αφηκεν αυτον αλλα λεγει αυτω υπαγε εις τον οικον σου προς τους σους και αναγγειλον αυτοις οσα σοι ο κυριος πεποιηκεν και ηλεησεν σε
20.	And he went his way, and began to publish in Decapolis how great things Jesus had done for him: and all men wondered.	Et abiit, et cœpit prædicare in Decapoli, quanta sibi fecisset Jesus : et omnes mirabantur.	και απηλθεν και ηρξατο κηρυσσειν εν τη δεκαπολει οσα εποιησεν αυτω ο ιησους και παντες εθαυμαζον

1. And they came over to the other side of the sea, into the country of the Gadarenes.
2. And when he was come out of the ship, immediately there met him out of the tombs a man with an unclean spirit,
3. Who had his dwelling among the tombs; and no man could bind him, no, not with chains:
4. Because that he had been often bound with fetters and chains, and the chains had been plucked asunder by him, and the fetters broken in pieces: neither could any man tame him.
5. And always, night and day, he was in the mountains, and in the tombs, crying, and cutting himself with stones.
6. But when he saw Jesus afar off, he ran and worshipped him,
7. And cried with a loud voice, and said, What have I to do with you, Jesus, you Son of the most high God? I adjure you by God, that you torment me not.
8. For he said to him, Come out of the man, you unclean spirit.
9. And he asked him, What is your name? And he answered, saying, My name is Legion: for we are many.
10. And he besought him much that he would not send them away out of the country.
11. Now there was nigh to the mountains a great herd of swine feeding.
12. And all the devils besought him, saying, Send us into the swine, that we may enter into them.
13. And forthwith Jesus gave them leave. And the unclean spirits went out, and entered into the swine: and the herd ran violently down a steep place into the sea, (they were about two thousand;) and were choked in the sea.
14. And they that fed the swine fled, and told it in the city, and in the country. And they went out to see what it was that was done.
15. And they come to Jesus, and see him that was possessed with the devil, and had the legion, sitting, and clothed, and in his right mind: and they were afraid.
16. And they that saw it told them how it befell to him that was possessed with the devil, and also concerning the swine.
17. And they began to pray him to depart out of their coasts.
18. And when he was come into the ship, he that had been possessed with the devil prayed him that he might be with him.
19. However Jesus suffered him not, but said to him, Go home to your friends, and tell them how great things the Lord has done for you, and has had compassion on you.
20. And he departed, and began to publish in Decapolis how great things Jesus had done for him: and all men did marvel.

THEOPHYL. Those who were in the ship inquired among themselves, What manner of man is this? and how it is made known Who He is by the testimony of His enemies. For the demoniac came up confessing that He was the Son of God. Proceeding to which circumstance the Evangelist says, And they came over to the other side, &c.

BEDE; Geraza is a noted town of Arabia, across the Jordan, near mount Galaad, which the tribe of Manasseh held, not far from the lake of Tiberias, into which the swine were precipitated.

PSEUD-CHRYS. Nevertheless the exact reading contains neither Gadarenes, nor Gerasines, but Gergesenes. For Gadara is a city of Judea, which has no sea at all about it; and Geraza is a city of Arabia, having neither lake nor sea near it. And that the Evangelists may not be thought to have spoken so manifest a falsehood, well acquainted as they were with the parts around Judea, Gergese, from which come the Gergesenes was an ancient city, now called Tiberias, around which is situated a considerable lake. It continues, And when he was come out of the ship, immediately there met him, &c.

AUG. Though Matthew says that there were two, Mark and Luke mention one, that you may understand that one of them was a more illustrious person, concerning whose state that country was much afflicted.

CHRYS. Or else, Mark and Luke relate what was most worthy of compassion, and for this reason they put down more at length what had happened to this man; for there follows, no man could bind him, no, not with chains. They therefore simply said, a man possessed of a devil, without taking heed to the number; or else, that he might show the greater virtue in the Worker; for He who had cured one such, might cure many others. Nor is there any discrepancy shown here, for they did not say that there was one alone, for then they would have contradicted Matthew. Now devils dwelt in tombs, wishing to convey a false opinion to many, that the souls of the dead were changed to devils.

GREG. NYSS. Now the assembly of the devils had prepared itself to resist time divine power. But when He was approaching Who had power over all things, they proclaim aloud His eminent virtue.

Wherefore there follows, But when he saw Jesus afar off, he ran and worshipped him, saying, &c.

CYRIL; See how the devil is divided between two passions, fear amid audacity; he hangs back and prays, as if meditating a question; he wishes to know what he had to do with Jesus, as though be would say, Do you cast me out from men, who are mine?

BEDE; And how great is the impiety of the Jews, to say that He cast out devils by the prince of the devils, when the very devils confess that they have nothing in common with Him.

CHRYS. Then praying to Him, he subjoins, I adjure you by God, that you torment me not. For he considered being cast out to be a torment, or else he was also invisibly tortured. For however bad the devils are, they know that there awaits them at last a punishment for their sins; but that the time of their last punishment was not yet come, they full well knew, especially as they were permitted to mix among men. But because Christ had come upon them as they were doing such dreadful deeds, they thought that, such was the heinousness of their crimes, He would not wait for the last times, to punish them; for this reason they beg that they may not be tormented.

BEDE; For it is a great torment for a devil to cease to hurt a man, and the more severely he possesses him, the more reluctantly he lets him go. For it goes on, For he said to him, Come out of the man, you unclean spirit.

CYRIL; Consider the unconquerable power of Christ; He makes Satan shake, for to him the words of Christ are fire and flame; as the Psalmist says, The mountains melted at the presence of the Lord, that is, great and proud powers.

There fellows, And he asked him, What is your name?

THEOPHYL. The Lord indeed asks, not that He Himself required to know, but that the rest might know that there was a multitude of devils dwelling in him.

PSEUD-CHRYS. Lest he should not be believed, if He affirmed there were many, He wishes that they themselves should confess it; wherefore there follows, And he said to him, Legion, for we are many. He gives not a fixed number, but a multitude, for such accuracy in the number would not help us to understand it.

BEDE; But by the public declaration of the scourge which the madman suffered, the virtue of the Healer appears more gracious. And even the priests of our time, who know how to cast out devils by the grace of exorcism, are wont to say that the sufferers cannot be cured at all, unless they in confession openly declare, as far as they are able to know, what they have suffered from the unclean spirits in sight, in hearing, in taste, in touch, or any other sense of body or soul, whether awake or asleep. It goes on, And he besought him much that he would not send them away out of the country.

PSEUD-CHRYS Luke however says, into the abyss. For the abyss is the separation of this world, for devils observe to be sent into outer darkness, prepared for the devil and his angels. This Christ might have done, but He allows them to remain in this world, lest the absence of a tempter should deprive men of the crown of victory.

THEOPHYL. Also that by fighting with us, they may make us more expert. It goes on, Now there was there about the mountain a great herd of swine feeding.

AUG. What Mark here says, that the herd was about the mountain, and what Luke calls on the mountain, are by no means inconsistent. For the herd of swine was so large, that some part were on the mountain, the rest around it. It goes on: And the devils besought him, saying, send us into the swine, that we may enter in to them.

REMIG. The devils entered not into the swine of their own will, but their asking for this concession, was, that it might be shown that they cannot hurt men without Divine permission. They did not ask to be sent into man, because they saw that He, by whose power they were tortured, bore a human form. Nor did they desire to be sent into the flocks, for they are clean animals offered up in the temple of God. But they desired to be sent into the swine, because no animal is more unclean than a hog, and devils always delight in filthiness. It goes on: And forthwith Jesus gave them leave.

BEDE; And He gave them leave, that by the killing of the swine, the salvation of men might be furthered.

PSEUD-CHRYS. He wished to show publicly the fury which devils entertain against men, and that they would inflict much worse things upon men, if they were not hindered by Divine power because, again, His compassion would not allow this to his shown on men, He permitted them to enter into the swine that on them the fury and power of the devils might be made known. There follows: And the unclean spirits went out.

TITUS; But the herdsmen also took to flight, lest they should perish with the swine, and spread the same fear amongst the inhabitants of the town. Wherefore there follows: And they that fed them, &c. The necessity of their loss, however, brought these men to the Savior; for frequently when God makes men suffer loss in their possessions, he confers a benefit on their souls.

Wherefore it goes on: And they came to Jesus, and see him that was tormented by the devil, &c. that is, at the feet of Him from whom he had obtained health; a man, whom before, not even chains could bind, clothed and in his right mind, though he used to be continually naked; and they were amazed; wherefore it says, And they were afraid. This miracle then they find omit partly by sight, partly by words; wherefore there follows: And they that saw it told them.

THEOPHYL. But amazed at the miracle, which they had heard, they were afraid, and for this reason they beseech Him to depart out of their borders; which is expressed in what follows: And they began to pray him to depart out of their coasts; for they feared lest some time or other they should suffer a like thing: for, saddened at the loss of their swine, they reject the presence of the Savior.

BEDE; Or else, conscious of their own frailty, they judged themselves unworthy of the presence of the Lord. It goes on: And when he was going to the ship, he that had been tormented, &c.

THEOPHYL. For he feared lest sometime or other the devils should find him, and enter into him a second time. But the Lord sends him back to his house, intimating to him, that though He himself was not present, yet His power would keep him; at the same time also that he might be of use in the healing of others; where fore it goes on: And he did not suffer him, and said to him, Go home to your friends, &c. See the humility of the Savior. He said not, Proclaim all things which I have done to you, but, all that the Lord has done; do you also, when you have done any good thing, take it not to yourself, but refer it to God.

CHRYS. But although He bade others, whom he healed, to tell it to no one, he nevertheless fitly bids this one proclaim it, since all that region, being possessed by devils, remained without God.

THEOPHYL. He therefore began to proclaim it, and all wonder, which is that which follows: And he began to publish.

BEDE; Mystically, however, Gerasa or Gergese, as some read it, is interpreted casting out a dweller or a stranger approaching, because the people of the Gentiles both expelled the enemy from the heart, and he who was afar off is made near.

PSEUDO-JEROME; Here again the demoniac is the people of the Gentiles, in a most hopeless case, bound neither by the law of nature, nor of God, nor by human fear.

BEDE; Who dwelt in the tombs, because they delighted in dead works, that is, in sins; who were ever raging night and day, because whether in prosperity or in adversity, they were never free from the service of malignant spirits: again, by time foulness of their works, they lay as it were in the tombs, in their lofty pride, they wandered over the mountains, by words of most hardened infidelity, they as it were cut themselves with stones. But he said, My name is Legion, because the Gentile people were enslaved to divers idolatrous forms of worship. Again, that the unclean spirits going out from man enter into swine, which they east headlong into the sea, implies that now that time people of the Gentiles are freed from the empire of demons, they who have not chosen to believe in Christ, work sacrilegious rites in hidden places.

THEOPHYL. Or by this it is signified that devils enter into those men, who live like swine, rolling themselves in the slough of pleasure; they drive them headlong into the sea down the precipice of perdition, into the sea of an evil life where they are choked.

PSEUDO-JEROME; Or they are choked in hell without any touch of mercy by the rushing on of an early death; which evils many persons thus avoid, for by the scourging of the fool, the wise is made more prudent.

BEDE; But that the Lord did not admit him, though He wished to be without Him, signifies, that every one after the remission of his sins should remember that he must work to obtain a good conscience, and serve the Gospel for the salvation of others, that at last he may rest in Christ.

GREG. For when we have perceived ever so little of the Divine knowledge, we are at once unwilling to return to human affairs, and seek for the quiet of contemplation; but the Lord commands that the mind should first toil hard at its work, and afterwards should refresh itself with contemplation.

PSEUDO-JEROME; But the man who is healed preached in Decapolis, where the Jews, who hang on the letter of the Decalogue, are being turned away from the Roman rule.

Catena Aurea Mark 5

Second Coming of Christ With Two Gospel Miracles
Detail: Christ and the Gerasene Demoniac

Alexey Pismenny

2007

February 3 – Memorial of Saint Blase, bishop and martyr

Saint Blaise’s Story

We know more about the devotion to Saint Blaise by Christians around the world than we know about the saint himself. His feast is observed as a holy day in some Eastern Churches. In 1222, the Council of Oxford prohibited servile labor in England on Blaise’s feast day. The Germans and Slavs hold him in special honor, and for decades many United States Catholics have sought the annual Saint Blaise blessing for their throats.

We know that Bishop Blaise was martyred in his episcopal city of Sebastea, Armenia, in 316. The legendary Acts of St. Blaise were written 400 years later. According to them Blaise was a good bishop, working hard to encourage the spiritual and physical health of his people. Although the Edict of Toleration (311), granting freedom of worship in the Roman Empire, was already five years old, persecution still raged in Armenia. Blaise was apparently forced to flee to the back country. There he lived as a hermit in solitude and prayer, but he made friends with the wild animals. One day a group of hunters seeking wild animals for the amphitheater stumbled upon Blaise’s cave. They were first surprised and then frightened. The bishop was kneeling in prayer surrounded by patiently waiting wolves, lions and bears.

The legend has it that as the hunters hauled Blaise off to prison, a mother came with her young son who had a fish bone lodged in his throat. At Blaise’s command the child was able to cough up the bone.

Agricolaus, governor of Cappadocia, tried to persuade Blaise to sacrifice to pagan idols. The first time Blaise refused, he was beaten. The next time he was suspended from a tree and his flesh torn with iron combs or rakes. Finally, he was beheaded.

Reflection

Four centuries give ample opportunity for fiction to creep in with fact. Who can be sure how accurate Blaise’s biographer was? But biographical details are not essential. Blaise is seen as one more example of the power those have who give themselves entirely to Jesus. As Jesus told his apostles at the Last Supper, “If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask for whatever you want and it will be done for you” (John 15:7). With faith we can follow the lead of the Church in asking for Blaise’s protection.

Saint Blaise is the Patron Saint of:

Throat Ailments
English Wool Combers

franciscanmedia.org

The Arrest and Miracles of Saint Blaise

Allegretto Nuzi

February 3 - Memorial of Saint Ansgar, bishop

Saint Ansgar’s Story

The “apostle of the north” (Scandinavia) had enough frustrations to become a saint—and he did. He became a Benedictine at Corbie, France, where he had been educated. Three years later, when the king of Denmark became a convert, Ansgar went to that country for three years of missionary work, without noticeable success. Sweden asked for Christian missionaries, and he went there, suffering capture by pirates and other hardships on the way. Fewer than two years later, he was recalled, to become abbot of New Corbie (Corvey) and bishop of Hamburg. The pope made him legate for the Scandinavian missions. Funds for the northern apostolate stopped with Emperor Louis’s death. After 13 years’ work in Hamburg, Ansgar saw it burned to the ground by invading Northmen; Sweden and Denmark returned to paganism.

He directed new apostolic activities in the North, traveling to Denmark and being instrumental in the conversion of another king. By the strange device of casting lots, the king of Sweden allowed the Christian missionaries to return.

Ansgar’s biographers remark that he was an extraordinary preacher, a humble and ascetical priest. He was devoted to the poor and the sick, imitating the Lord in washing their feet and waiting on them at table. He died peacefully at Bremen, Germany, without achieving his wish to be a martyr.

Sweden became pagan again after his death, and remained so until the coming of missionaries two centuries later.

Reflection

History records what people do, rather than what they are. Yet the courage and perseverance of men and women like Ansgar can only come from a solid base of union with the original courageous and persevering Missionary. Ansgar’s life is another reminder that God writes straight with crooked lines. Christ takes care of the effects of the apostolate in his own way; he is first concerned about the purity of the apostles themselves.

Saint Ansgar is the Patron Saint of:

Denmark

franciscanmedia.org

From: 2 Samuel 15:13-14, 30; 16-5-13

David’s Flight

[13] And a messenger came to David, saying, “The hearts of the men of Israel have gone after Absalom.” [14] Then David said to all his servants who were with him at Jerusalem, “Arise, and let us flee; or else there will be no escape for us from Absalom; go in haste, lest he overtake us quickly, and bring down evil upon us, and smite the city with the edge of the sword.”

Hushai Undertakes to Work for David

[30] But David went up the ascent of the Mount of Olives, weeping as he went, barefoot and with his head covered; and all the people who were with him covered their heads, and they went up, weeping as they went.

Shimel Curses David

[5] When King David came to Bahurim, there came out a man of the family of the house of Saul, whose name was Shime-i, the son of Gera; and as he came he cursed continually. [6] And he threw stones at David, and at all the servants of King David; and all the people and all the mighty men were on his right hand and on his left. [7] And Shime-i said as he cursed, “Begone, begone, you man of blood, you worthless fellow! [8] The LORD has avenged upon you all the blood of the house of Saul, in whose place you have reigned; and the LORD has given the kingdom into the hand of your son Absalom. See, your ruin is on you; for you are a man of blood.”

[9] Then Abishai the son of Zeruiah said to the king, “Why should this dead dog curse my lord the king? Let me go over and take off his head.” [10] But the king said, “What have I to do with you, you sons of Zeruiah? If he is cursing because the LORD has said to him, ‘Curse David,’ who then shall say, ‘Why have you done so?’”And David said to Abishai and to all his servants, “Behold, my own son seeks my life; how much more now may this Benjaminite! Let him alone, and let him curse; for the LORD has bidden him. [12] It may be that the LORD will look upon my affliction, and that the LORD will repay me with good for this cursing of me today.” [13] So David and his men went on the road, while Shime-i went along on the hillside opposite him and cursed as he went, and threw stones at him and flung dust.

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Commentary:

15:13-17. Faced with the imminent arrival of his usurping son, David takes flight. In a poignant scene he processes out of the city, as if accepting that God’s plan includes Absalom’s revolt. He does not want to delay, in case that should put the city itself at risk (v. 14). David’s original conquest of the city was a sign of God’s protection; now it most seem as though God has abandoned him. The humbled king leaves on foot (15:30) but he cherishes the hope that the city will remain the royal capital: he has left his concubines in the palace and they will look after it for whomever the Lord chooses to be its master.

Although this is humiliating flight, David is consoled by unconditional support from certain quarters (vv. 18, 23). He stops at the last house to bid farewell to the city he founded.

15:24-37. The ark must stay in Jerusalem, the religious capital, as a sign that the Lord will continue to protect its inhabitants and the rightful king, whoever he may be. David hopes to return to the ark if he still finds favor with the Lord. Even though David knows that leaving Jerusalem is a punishment from God (v. 26), he continues to act as king and he sends trusted men to the city to be his spies and report back on the position there (v. 28). Meanwhile he loses some adherents, including the treacherous Ahithophel (v. 31), and gains better ones.

16:1-14. For David the flight from Jerusalem is a time of sorrow, although it serves to purify his soul. Not only does he have to abandon his beloved city; he is jeered and despised by many of his subjects. The first two persons who come out to meet him (Ziba and Shimei) are from the north and they serve to remind him that there are still supporters of Saul who hate him. Ziba, who has his own reasons for doing so, informs David that Mephibosheth, Jonathan’s son and a man treated with deference at David’s court (cf. 9:6-13), has gone over to Absalom. David takes a decision which will be moderated when he later discovers Mephibosheth’s part in the plot not to have been so very serious (cf. 19:25-31). Shimei acts in a cowardly and disrespectful way towards David; but the king, instead of reacting with violence, accepts these humiliations as coming from God. Thus, his religious piety is growing and he is learning to accept his well-deserved punishment.

From: Mark 5:1-20

The Gerasene Demoniac

[1] They came to the other side of the sea, to the country of the Gerasenes. [2] And when He (Jesus) had come out of the boat, there met Him out of the tombs a man with an unclean spirit, [3] who lived among the tombs; and no one could bind him any more, even with a chain; [4] for he had often been bound with fetters and chains, but the chains he wrenched apart, and the fetters he broke in pieces; and no one had the strength to subdue him. [5] Night and day among the tombs and on the mountains he was always crying out, and bruising himself with stones. [6] And when he saw Jesus from afar, he ran and worshipped Him; [7] and crying out with a loud voice, he said, “What have You to do with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I adjure You by God, do not torment me.” [8] For He had said to him, “Come out of the man, you unclean spirit!” [9] And Jesus asked him, “What is your name?” He replied, “My name is Legion; for we are many.” [10] And he begged Him eagerly not to send them out of the country. [11] Now a great herd of swine is feeding there on the hillside; [12] and they begged Him, “Send us to the swine, let us enter them.” [13] So, He gave them leave. And the unclean spirits came out, and entered the swine; and the herd, numbering about two thousand, rushed down the steep bank into the sea, and were drowned in the sea.

[14] The herdsmen fled, and told it in the city and the country. And people came to see what it was that had happened. [15] And they came to see Jesus, and saw the demoniac sitting there, clothed and in his right mind, the man who had had the legion; and they were afraid. [16] And those who had seen it told what had happened to the demoniac and to the swine. [17] And they began to beg Jesus to depart from their neighborhood. [18] And as He was getting into the boat, the man who had been possessed with demons begged Him that he might be with Him. [19] But He refused, and said to him, “Go home to your friends, and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and how He has had mercy on you.” [20] And he went away and began to proclaim in the Decapolis how much Jesus had done for him; and all men marvelled.

Scripture readings from the Jerusalem Bible by Darton, Longman & Todd

Readings at Mass

Liturgical Colour: Green.

First reading
2 Samuel 15:13-14,30,16:5-13 ©

David flees Absalom and is cursed by Shimei

A messenger came to tell David, ‘The hearts of the men of Israel are now with Absalom.’ So David said to all his officers who were with him in Jerusalem, ‘Let us be off, let us fly, or we shall never escape from Absalom. Leave as quickly as you can in case he mounts a surprise attack and worsts us and puts the city to the sword.’

David then made his way up the Mount of Olives, weeping as he went, his head covered and his feet bare. And all the people with him had their heads covered and made their way up, weeping as they went.

As David was reaching Bahurim, out came a man of the same clan as Saul’s family. His name was Shimei son of Gera, and as he came he uttered curse after curse and threw stones at David and at all King David’s officers, though the whole army and all the champions flanked the king right and left. The words of his curse were these, ‘Be off, be off, man of blood, scoundrel! the Lord has brought on you all the blood of the House of Saul whose sovereignty you have usurped; and the Lord has transferred that same sovereignty to Absalom your son. Now your doom has overtaken you, man of blood that you are.’ Abishai son of Zeruiah said to the king, ‘Is this dead dog to curse my lord the king? Let me go over and cut his head off.’ But the king replied, ‘What business is it of mine and yours, sons of Zeruiah? Let him curse. If the Lord said to him, “Curse David,” what right has anyone to say, “Why have you done this?”’ David said to Abishai and all his officers, ‘Why, my own son, sprung from my body, is now seeking my life; so now how much the more this Benjaminite? Let him curse on if the Lord has told him to. Perhaps the Lord will look on my misery and repay me with good for his curse today.’ So David and his men went on their way.

Responsorial Psalm	Psalm 3:2-8 ©

Arise, Lord; save me, my God.

How many are my foes, O Lord!

How many are rising up against me!

How many are saying about me:

‘There is no help for him in God.’

Arise, Lord; save me, my God.

But you, Lord, are a shield about me,

my glory, who lift up my head.

I cry aloud to the Lord.

He answers from his holy mountain.

Arise, Lord; save me, my God.

I lie down to rest and I sleep.

I wake, for the Lord upholds me.

I will not fear even thousands of people

who are ranged on every side against me.

Arise, Lord; save me, my God.

Arise, Lord; save me, my God.

Gospel Acclamation	Jn17:17

Alleluia, alleluia!

Your word is truth, O Lord:

consecrate us in the truth.

Alleluia!

Or:	Lk7:16

Alleluia, alleluia!

A great prophet has appeared among us;

God has visited his people.

Alleluia!

Gospel	Mark 5:1-20 ©

The Gadarene swine

Jesus and his disciples reached the country of the Gerasenes on the other side of the lake, and no sooner had Jesus left the boat than a man with an unclean spirit came out from the tombs towards him. The man lived in the tombs and no one could secure him any more, even with a chain; because he had often been secured with fetters and chains but had snapped the chains and broken the fetters, and no one had the strength to control him. All night and all day, among the tombs and in the mountains, he would howl and gash himself with stones. Catching sight of Jesus from a distance, he ran up and fell at his feet and shouted at the top of his voice, ‘What do you want with me, Jesus, son of the Most High God? Swear by God you will not torture me!’ – for Jesus had been saying to him, ‘Come out of the man, unclean spirit.’ ‘What is your name?’ Jesus asked. ‘My name is legion,’ he answered ‘for there are many of us.’ And he begged him earnestly not to send them out of the district.

Now there was there on the mountainside a great herd of pigs feeding, and the unclean spirits begged him, ‘Send us to the pigs, let us go into them.’ So he gave them leave. With that, the unclean spirits came out and went into the pigs, and the herd of about two thousand pigs charged down the cliff into the lake, and there they were drowned. The swineherds ran off and told their story in the town and in the country round about; and the people came to see what had really happened. They came to Jesus and saw the demoniac sitting there, clothed and in his full senses – the very man who had had the legion in him before – and they were afraid. And those who had witnessed it reported what had happened to the demoniac and what had become of the pigs. Then they began to implore Jesus to leave the neighbourhood. As he was getting into the boat, the man who had been possessed begged to be allowed to stay with him. Jesus would not let him but said to him, ‘Go home to your people and tell them all that the Lord in his mercy has done for you.’ So the man went off and proceeded to spread throughout the Decapolis all that Jesus had done for him. And everyone was amazed.