Today in St. Matthew’s Gospel, we see how Jesus gets to the bottom of our troubles, both big and small. When He enters the town of Gadara, He drives out the horrible demons from the two possessed men, and by doing so, allows the passersby who were held up by all the violence to get through and return to their lives. Even though Jesus puts an end to the town’s dilemma, the people of Gadara are displeased and they implore Jesus to leave the area.
At first, this ungrateful reaction to Jesus’ kindness seemed appalling and made no sense to me. But as I considered it, whenever I fail to acknowledge Jesus for rescuing me from my own problems, I am no different from the people of Gadara—my unresponsiveness to His goodness is no better than driving Him away.
Jesus never performed an act that wasn’t good. His miracles revealed that the Father, who is the source of all good, sent Him to strengthen people’s faith. Still, He is rejected, even when He makes the impossible possible for us. Our problems are never resolved alone, but with Jesus beside us. When we invite Him to stay, we are accepting His tireless and giving heart, and our demons and road blocks become opportunities to show Him our gratitude for His generous love.
