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of the Father of Lies proclaimed the truth of Jesus as the ˈSon of God,ˉ
while requesting reprieve from their claimed torment at the ˈappointed
time.ˉ In what Jesus must have discerned to be the Father˅s will, Jesus
did as the demons asked: he sent them to the herd of swine. Thus pos-
sessed, the swine rushed to their death, depriving this pork-dependent
town of tons of meat. And so the whole town begged Jesus to leave.
By his act of divine justice, Jesus saved the town˅s two souls most in need
of spiritual healing, yet he was rejected by the town for its loss of worldly
goods resulting from his granting the demons˅ request. I must ask myself:
When my prayer has been granted, have I, like those demons, used the di-
vine gift to abuse the divine favor? Though Jesus˅ has forgiven me and
reconciled me to the Church, do I not commit again sins of pride that
thwart others from experiencing Jesus?
The supernatural demons know that Jesus is the Christ and that they can-
not ultimately prevail, yet they battle on. They must have powerful
ˈdemonsˉ of their own. One of the demons˅ demons must be pride like
that of Lucifer, the light bearer, who from pride in self came to resent the
glory and honor that is his Creator˅s alone. He became Satan, Prince of
Darkness, Father of Lies. ˈPride goes before disaster, and a haughty spirit
before a fall.ˉ (Proverbs: 16:18.) Such pride is a demon of fallen angels
and fallen humanity alike.
P
RAYER
I pray to be free of my demons so that I may more fully seek good and do
justice. ˈLord, I am not worthy that you should enter under my roof, but
only say the word, and my soul shall be healedˉ of its sinful pride, its
haughty spirit. May I hunger for humble discipleship to your Son: Jesus the
Christ.
_______
P
HIL
A
RGENTO
Worship Commission Chair