Today’s Sermon
in a Nutshell:
In today’s
gospel our Lord encounters two demoniacs who, upon recognizing Jesus, shout:
“What have you to do with us, O Son of God?” (Matthew 8:29). In the original
Greek, this statement would have been more akin to, “Why do you concern
yourself with us, O Son of God?” and I like that translation much better. Why?
Because Jesus came into the world with a common concern for all; not only the
righteous, but to be a Savior and a Physician to all of us who are affected and
sickened and deadened by sin.
That was what
was so unique and characteristic of Jesus’ ministry: He reached out to,
preached to, served, and loved all people. Not only did He treat the rich and
poor, old and young, male and female, healthy and sick, Jew, Samaritan, Roman,
and Gentile all with the same respect, but Jesus went out of His way to show
His love and mercy for society’s outcasts and the disenfranchised: thieves,
beggars, prostitutes, tax collectors, lepers and – like in today’s gospel –
those possessed by demons.
Therefore, what
makes this element of Christ’s ministry so vital and appealing is the fact that
He is concerned with each and every one of us…even a sinner like me.
Fr. John Memorich
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