January 30, 2023, Monday of the 4th Week in Ordinary Time-A

Hebrews 11:32-40

Psalm 31

Mark 5:1-20

…out of weakness they were made powerful, became strong in battle…Heb. 11:34

“Go home to your family and announce to them all that the Lord in his pity has done for you.  Mk. 5:19

Lord, you chose to continue your mission of bringing the Good News to your children in Gentile territory.  This was a hostile, pagan land not welcoming to your message. The prophets mentioned in the first reading also encountered very strong adversaries. The demon possessed man in the Gospel was a hard case of evil. All the efforts of the people to control him failed. You were his only hope, and you arranged an encounter with him that saved his life. Your power over evil was made know to all and they were amazed and afraid.  Lord, I don’t know any cases of possession like this one, but the news tells us each day of evil motivating people to do terrible, horrible things to family members, to babies in the womb, to the elderly in nursing homes and on and on. Lord, please drive out the evil that can destroy our relationships, our families, our country. Faith gives us the assurance we are never alone in our struggles and difficulties. Be present in our homeless camps, our prisons, our hospitals, and our gang hangouts. We cannot solve this on our own.  We need your power and grace.  Amen.