After Jesus cast out legion demons from someone, the demons
entered a heard of swine. As a reaction to having the demons enter, the entire
heard ran off a cliff and drown. The demons were so violent and oppressive, the
swine just couldn’t handle the presence of so many demons. Demons have a nasty
effect on people, but there is always a limit to their abilities.
During the exorcism prayers of every baptism, the Church
recalls this Gospel story, as the demons are cast out of the new infant or
adult who is seeking to join themselves to Christ. The demons are obligated to
obey the Church and depart, just as they were obligated to depart from the
young man in Gospel. So if demons have been cast out of our lives at our
baptism, why does the Church offer this Gospel story? In the story, the man
from whom the demons were cast out glorified God, but the same cannot be said
for the owners of the swine, and the town folk.
“Then the whole multitude of the surrounding region of the
Gadarenes asked Him to depart from them, for they were seized with great fear.
And He got into the boat and returned.” (Luke 8.37) For the town folk, it was
easier for them to witness the young man completely tormented by demons, than
to lose the money they had invested in the swine. They had grown comfortable
with their fellow citizen being tormented, but could not tolerate losing their
investments. They had become so greedy; the presence of God was more of a
torment for them than the torment of demons on their fellow human being.
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