Confronting Evil
One of my favorite words and what it implies is “metanoia.” The Oxford dictionary defines metanoia as, “change in one’s way of life resulting from penitence or spiritual conversion.”
Today’s Gospel describes a dramatic metanoia initiated by Jesus in the story of the Gerasene demoniac; “What have you to do with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High? I adjure you by God, do not torment me! ‘(He had been saying to him, “Unclean spirit, come out of the man”)”. Christ drove out the demons, “There are many of us,” into the herd of swine which then went tumbling off the cliff into the Sea of Galilee.
A Call to Conversion
Jesus does change my life, albeit, in a less radical fashion when He graces me with the self-knowledge that my life is headed down the wrong path. There are the small moments when I am judging others, resentful of others, or envying others when this powerful prayer, “Jesus, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner” comes into my mind. Check. Got it, Lord. Repeating this prayer I do my best to turn away from these sinful thoughts and seek God’s assistance to change my behaviors.
But there are the bigger “moments”, even months, of unkind thoughts, words, actions where I need God to intervene and send my demons away. And that is where Reconciliation brings me peace. I don’t want to be like that Gerasene man who wanted to push away Christ’s healing but there are many times when I hesitate to get to Reconciliation.
Resisting Evil
Currently, I am reading “The Screwtape Letters” and it reinforces that Satan plays a role in my hesitation. Satan detests a true metanoia. If only we would recognize that Satan comes in the internal voice that urges us to anger or envy; his evil voice is much more subtle than causing us to be “night and day among the tombs…and bruising (oneself) with stones.”
The Way Back to God
What powerful weapons we have to use against such evil! Prayers, Scripture, the sacrament of Reconciliation will bring us peace and turn us back to God. God in His boundless mercy and love gives us the hope every day that we can throw off the shackles of sin and change our lives.
