Jesus is our liberator, breaking chains of sin and setting captives free.

He is also our restorer, healing broken hearts, renewing our minds.

and bringing abundant life where there was once loss.

 

＊＊＊ 1st Reading ＊＊＊     

Amos 5:14-15, 21-24

Seek good and shun evil,

that you may live. Then the Lord, the God of hosts, as you have claimed, will be with you.

Hate wickedness and love virtue, and let justice prevail in the courts;

perhaps the Lord, the God of hosts, will take pity on the remnant of Joseph.

"I hate, I reject your feasts, I take no pleasure when you assemble to offer me your burnt offerings.

Your cereal offerings, I will not accept! Your offerings of fattened beasts,

I will not look upon! Away with the noise of your chanting, away with your strumming on harps.

But let justice run its course like water, and righteousness be like an ever-flowing river.

 

Ps 50:7, 8-9, 10-11 12-13, 16bc-17

 To the upright I will show the saving power of God.

 

＊＊＊ Gospel ＊＊＊      

Matthew 8:28-34

When Jesus reached Gadara, on the other side, he was met by two men, possessed by devils,

who came out from the tombs. They were so fierce that no one dared to pass that way.

They cried out, "Son of God, leave us alone! Have you come here to torment us before the time?"

Some distance away there was a large herd of pigs feeding. So the demons begged him,

"If you drive us out, send us into that herd of pigs." Jesus ordered them, "Go!"

 

So the demons left the men and went into the pigs. The whole herd rushed down the cliff into the lake and was drowned.

The men in charge of the pigs ran off to the town, where they told the whole story;

and also what had happened to the men possessed with the demons.

The whole town went out to meet Jesus; and when they saw him, they begged him to leave their region.

 

Gospel Reflection ：

To restore the dignity of every person.

Today's gospel episode affirms who Jesus is at the core of our struggles – our liberator, restorer,

and healer amidst our brokenness. Often, we feel overwhelmed by the challenges we face.

It is essential to acknowledge that these difficulties, along with the evils pervading our society,

stem not only from our shortcomings but also from a wicked force that seeks to undermine

our shared experience as God's people. When Jesus commands the demons to leave their victims,

 

it reveals God's profound compassion for us and His deep desire to restore the dignity of every person.

In these challenging times, may we find the strength to open ourselves to God's grace,

confronting the evil tendencies within ourselves and working collectively to confront

and eradicate the evils in our world while bringing hope and healing to those in need.