Active Compassion!

Monday, February 3, 2025

Heb 11:32-40; Mk 5:1-20

Today’s Gospel highlights Jesus’ compassion toward the man possessed by an unclean spirit. 

At first, the description of the man who found his dwelling among the tombs looks so terrifying that no human intervention could have possibly helped him. When others stood helpless, Jesus’ compassion coupled with his divine authority brought the man’s misery to an end. What Jesus demonstrates is an ‘active compassion’ that translates itself into action to transform lives. 

Secondly, the compassion of Jesus is ordained toward a purpose. When the man wants to follow Jesus upon being healed, Jesus tells him to go home to his family and friends to announce God’s goodness to him. Jesus’ response is insightful. Jesus wants the man to enjoy social communion, which he previously could not because of his past life. In the name of discipleship, Jesus does not want to seclude a man who suffered seclusion because of his demon possession. Jesus is truly sensitive to the social and psychological needs of the man. 

Thirdly, Jesus’ instruction to the man concerns the place of ministry. He shows that places do not determine God’s mission. Instead, where we are can itself be the place to begin God’s mission. As regards evangelization, who we may be surrounded by can be our audience. In fact, the familiar places and people should be the first instances to begin God’s mission. In what he says, Jesus rules out the notions of ideal places for God’s mission, letting the man convert his own surroundings and neighboring villages and towns into authentic locales where God’s mission can boom and flourish. 

Finally, we find people ‘seized with fear’ when they found the demon-possessed man ‘sitting,’ ‘clothed,’ and ‘in his right mind.’ What were they afraid of? There is no mention of their fear in the verses that describe his pathetic condition. A right disposition would have led them to give praise to God for what He has done to the demon-possessed man. The crowd’s reaction invites us to check our disposition toward God’s blessings to our friends and neighbors. 

Let us pray that we may inherit the active compassion of Jesus to transform the lives of others.

Fr. Dhinakaran Savariyar