Have you seen people with demonic oppression or possession? I have not yet seen it personally. But many of us probably saw movies about demonic possession or exorcism. Movies usually do not focus on the nature of demonic possession or oppression. They highlight paranormal struggles and fights or horrible and frightening fates of characters to keep your attention.
On the other hand, in today’s gospel, we can see what happens in demonic possession. The Gerasenes demoniac is alive. But he lives among the dead away from his people. He is alive bodily but dead spiritually and socially. In the meantime, no one can restrain him. No human power can overwhelm him. No one can help him. In other words, there is no human cure for demonic oppression or possession. When a person’s illness has a supernatural origin, there is no human cure. Lastly, in movies, we see many victims harmed by demoniacs. But in reality, the true victims are the demoniacs oppressed or possessed by demons. The Gerasenes demoniac howls night and day with agony and bruises himself with stones.
Genuine demonic oppression and possession are still found in our times although we don’t see them often. Then, Satan and his demons became lazy and inactive in modern times? I don’t think so. Spiritually dead people are all over. So many people do not think about the afterlife. They live as if they have no spirit, chasing only after pleasure and wealth. Although we stay to ourselves we are so well connected by electronic and virtual means, so many people feel alone and have broken relationships. Too many divorces and single-parent homes are around us. Meanwhile, in our times we see so many addictions at a personal level and so many large-scale exploitations at the society level. Scientific theories or psychology cannot comprehensively explain these personal and social evils. If they could, these evils should have gone by now. As we see all around us, there are still too many victims of Satan’s lies. We cannot but admit that many evils are beyond human power. Evil is not merely human or natural but also demonic and supernatural.
We need the Stronger One. Only Christ Jesus can overpower Satan and his demons as he demonstrates in today’s gospel. Satan is diligent and steadfast in luring man with his ever-new lies. We still find many demoniacs around us. I should examine first myself if I subscribe to any of Satan’s lies and his false promises.
