Last year when we had the reading at mass about the herd of swine that Jesus sent the demons into, the priest who was giving the homily said that Jesus must have thought that the souls of those two people possessed by the demons were worth destroying the economy of an entire territory. Jesus knew that the people who lived there depended on that herd of swine for their livelihood, yet he did not hesitate to destroy it for the sake of those two people.
Today again we have that reading. There was a meditation in the "Magnificat" today that is by Richard Wilbur, a former poet laureate of the United States. His entry gives you an interesting perspective of what the people whose livelihood Jesus destroyed thought.
"Rabbi, we Gadarenes are not ascetics;
We are fond of wealth and possessions.
Love, as you call it, we obviate by means
Of the planned release of aggressions.
We have deep faith in prosperity.
Soon, it is hoped, we will reach our full potential.
In the light of our gross product, the practice of charity
Is palpably inessential.
It is true that we go insane;
That for no good reason we are possessed by devils;
That we suffer, despite the amenities which obtain
At all but the lowest levels.
We shall not, however, resign
Our trust in the high-heaped table and the full trough.
If you cannot cure us without destroying our swine,
We had rather you shoved off."
I got to thinking about whether or not this is the position that the powers that be in America have taken. I have a feeling that in order to save us now, our swine will need to be destroyed. Dear Jesus, have mercy on us.
God Bless!
