Ukrainian Orthodoxy		Orthodoxie ukrainienne

Evil Unmasked!

Very Reverend Ihor Kutash kutash@unicorne.org

(Fifth Sunday after Pentecost)

In today's Gospel reading (Matthew 8:29-9:1), we can actually hear the voice of evil speaking. It comes from the demons possessing the two men from Gadara, whom Jesus was about to free from their horrible bondage: "If you are going to drive us out, send us into that herd of pigs" (Today's English Version). These words are revealing. They give us a glimpse into what evil really is.

It sometimes happens that Satan and his servants are presented as heroic characters. There is the romantic picture in Milton's "Paradise Lost". We may have heard the statement the author gives to Satan: "Better to reign in Hell, than to serve in Heaven". It sounds as though God's adversary were a heroic rebel, a fighter for freedom from the status quo, from an oppressive authority. Put this way, it appears as though this being deserves admiration, or at least sympathy. In fact, the popular rock group, The Rolling Stones, wrote a hit song on this theme, inspired by Mikhail Bulgakov's book, The Master and Margarita.

The words of these demons show what evil really wants: death and destruction, if only of the lives of dumb animals such as pigs. If they could not possess a human being, these creatures yearn to possess at least a pig, even if their power over it lasts only the few seconds it takes for the pig to rush down the side of the cliff into the lake to drown there. There is certainly nothing attractive about the intelligence and will that leads to this kind of humiliating spectacle, which was actually a tragedy for the owners of the pigs, who depended upon them for their livelihood.

We must see what evil is like, so that we may avoid and oppose it. This is why Jesus agreed to the demons' request. He saw that by carrying out their designs they would expose themselves. All who would hear and ponder the meaning of this event would be given the opportunity to think about where the pursuit of sin leads. For sins of which we do not repent, sins which we keep on doing, refusing to acknowledge our guilt and ask God (and others) for forgiveness and help to put an end to them - are the means by which this evil gains access to our lives.

This Gospel account is not meant to frighten us. It is given to teach us, to help us choose good over evil - to turn to the One who has authority over all things, to Whom even the fallen beings must ultimately submit. After looking at the horrible spectacle of the drowning of the possessed pigs let us turn to look at the two men who had been set free. They were now able to go and talk to their neighbours and tell them what had happened. They could talk. They could act on their own volition. Jesus had set them free. Do we not want our freedom? The way to it is to turn to the Lord with all our hearts.

One can have pity for the tormented beings who destroyed the pigs. Great prayer warriors such as St. Anthony of Egypt and St. Isaac the Syrian even prayed for them, while struggling against their attacks. That is undoubtedly more than we can do. But we can diminish their power by resisting sin and giving God His rightful place in our lives - as our Lord, our Father, our Friend. Blessed be His Thrice-Holy Name now and forever more. Amen.

[ Home ] [ Articles ] [ Prayer ] [ Saints ] [ Theophilus ] [ Q & A ] [About Us] [ ]