Legion Within

Sometimes, God's plan is for you to be a spokesperson.

Then they arrived at the country of the Gerasenes, which is opposite Galilee. As he stepped out on land, a man of the city who had demons met him. For a long time he had worn no clothes, and he did not live in a house but in the tombs. When he saw Jesus, he fell down before him and shouted at the top of his voice, "What have you to do with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beg you, do not torment me"-- for Jesus had commanded the unclean spirit to come out of the man. (For many times it had seized him; he was kept under guard and bound with chains and shackles, but he would break the bonds and be driven by the demon into the wilds.) Jesus then asked him, "What is your name?" He said, "Legion" for many demons had entered him. They begged him not to order them to go back into the abyss. Now there on the hillside a large herd of swine was feeding; and the demons begged Jesus to let them enter these. So he gave them permission. Then the demons came out of the man and entered the swine, and the herd rushed down the steep bank into the lake and was drowned. When the swineherds saw what had happened, they ran off and told it in the city and in the country. Then people came out to see what had happened, and when they came to Jesus, they found the man from whom the demons had gone sitting at the feet of Jesus, clothed and in his right mind. And they were afraid. Those who had seen it told them how the one who had been possessed by demons had been healed. Then all the people of the surrounding country of the Gerasenes asked Jesus to leave them; for they were seized with great fear. So he got into the boat and returned. The man from whom the demons had gone begged that he might be with him; but Jesus sent him away, saying, "Return to your home, and declare how much God has done for you." So he went away, proclaiming throughout the city how much Jesus had done for him. - Luke 8:26-39

I am naked and troubled, possessed by demons, living in a cave.

Wow. Chances are that is not true for anyone today, at least not literally true.

But we all have demons. We are all naked before God. We are all isolated and alone at times.

Trouble began when Jesus called the demons to leave the man. He actually commanded them to come out. That is when they asked him what he had to do with them.

If I am overwhelmed by my own fears and depression, I don't want to be bothered by anyone seeking to help me. Leave me be, I may say.

In our current state, we don't want help. we want to be left alone.

The man couldn't ask Jesus for help. That is, if you believe in demon possession. A modern way of looking at it is that we don't want help when we are not in our right mind.

So, for us, in this time and space, legion represents all the things that trouble us, haunt us, command our attention.

We can look at it this way. We are all possessed by some demons. We just don't call them that.

So the message in today's Gospel, for me, is this. God wants us to be who we truly are in his kingdom here on earth.

Live fully as you, he tells us. Strip away the things that control you. Be whole and true.

We need to trust in the light that glows in our souls. Let it be so bright that it burns away the crap.

Then, we can be free.

More to come...