Years ago, I engaged in a heated game of ultimate frisbee. During the match, one of the veteran players had the reputation for sprinting down the field, frisbee in hand, while crying aloud: “How much do you want it!?” Again and again, he’d shout throughout the game, “How much do you want it?!” Of course, adrenaline levels would rise, and victory seemed inevitable when those words sprang out.
To this day, those words still ring true for me, and I wonder if the readings may also be confronting us with that same question: how much do you want it? In the first reading, St. Paul unveils the great epic of the heroes and heroines of the Old Testament. They are praised for their great deeds and sufferings, and how they conquered. But then at the end, he throws a curveball in our court by writing, “Yet all these, though approved because of their faith, did not receive what had been promised. God had foreseen something better for us, so that without us they should not be made perfect” (Heb. 11:39-40). Although the ancient prophets remained faithful, God designed it in such a way that in some small way we would play a role in their salvation “so that without us, they should not be made perfect” (Ibid, 11:40). But are we embracing this role?
Jesus
If we take a step back and turn to the Gospel, we encounter the fulfillment: Jesus Christ. Imagine what the prophets would have given to have laid eyes on Him. Remember Christ’s words: “For I tell you, many prophets and people longed to see what you see and did not see it” (Matt 13:17). Now, contrast this desire with that of the inhabitants in today’s Gospel. In the scene, the God-man visits the land of the Gentiles in a region called the Gerasenes. He encounters a possessed man and offers healing. As a consequence, Jesus drives out the demons and sends them into the local swine who then perish in the sea. But when we observe the reaction of the inhabitants, it is a rather disturbing one.
“As they approached Jesus, they caught sight of the man who had been possessed by Legion, sitting there clothed and in his right mind. And they were seized with fear. Those who witnessed the incident explained to them what had happened to the possessed man and to the swine. Then they began to beg him to leave their district” (Mk 5:15-17). Notice the italicized section. Unlike the prophets of old, the people here did not want Jesus. Rather than desiring him, they “begged” him to leave that area. It is a shocking response but one closer to us than we might realize.
Do We?
Every day, Jesus awaits us in our fellow brothers and sisters, and ultimately, in the Eucharist. Do we long to see Him as the prophets did of old, or when He comes to visit us, do we “beg” him to leave? It sounds harsh, but what do our actions, thoughts, and hearts say? What about the people in our lives? Do we beg them to leave because “Whatever you did (or didn’t) for one of the least of my brethren, you did it for me” (Matt 25:40). Do we live up to the truth that “God had foreseen something better for us, so that without us they should not be made perfect” (Heb. 11:39-40)?
Beg Him to Stay
Today, let us ask for the grace to want him or as one saint who prayed, “to want to want Him.” Instead of begging for Jesus to leave, do we beg Him to stay?
As we finish our prayer here, we may recall those familiar words: “How much do you want it?” May they encourage us to open our hearts for Him to stay.
St. Joseph and Holy Mary, beggars for grace, pray for us.
