July 1, 2026
Wednesday of the Thirteenth Week in Ordinary Time
Gospel: Matthew 8:28-34

Today is Wednesday of the Thirteenth Week in Ordinary Time. The passage from the Gospel of Saint Matthew presents us with the narrative of Jesus’ arrival in Gentile territory and His encounter with two men living among the tombs. I would like to take this opportunity to offer some reflections.

Matthew tells us: Jesus came to the region of the Gadarenes (cf. Mt 8:28). This is a region given over to idolatry. He also tells us: these people came out from the tombs (ibid.), which means they were living in a place devoid of the breath of life. We know that tombs are the entrance to death; there is no life in the tombs. That which leads man into the tomb and deprives him of life is sin. Sin originates from the devil; it was the devil who caused Adam and Eve to leave the Garden of Eden.

Here, I would like to briefly introduce the account of the same event by Saint Luke. Saint Luke tells us: the demon had seized him many times; he had been bound with chains and shackles and kept under guard (cf. Lk 8:29). This shows: these two possessed men were not only living in an environment without life but were even unable to turn toward God. In our lives, there are likewise factors that hinder us from turning toward God. What are the factors that hinder us from turning toward God, causing us to snarl at God? They are the evil thoughts that come from our hearts. Evil thoughts drive our faculties and senses to rebel against God, setting our bodies in opposition to God, causing us, like those possessed, to think that Jesus has come to destroy us.

In the narratives of both Matthew and Luke, we see the demons pleading with Jesus, saying: “If You drive us out, send us into the herd of swine. Do not command us to go into the abyss” (cf. Mt 8:31; Lk 8:30). This recalls our first parents Adam and Eve, and their dialogue with God after they had sinned: After Adam ate of the fruit of the tree, the Lord God called to Adam and said to him, “Where are you?” Adam replied, “I heard Your voice in the garden; but I was afraid, because I was naked, so I hid myself.” God then asked him, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten the tree of which I forbade you to eat?” Adam replied, “It was the woman whom You gave to be with me; she gave me fruit of the tree, and I ate.” The Lord God then asked the woman, “Why did you do this?” The woman replied, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.” Therefore, the Lord God said to the serpent, “Because you have done this, you are cursed above all cattle, and above all wild beasts; upon your belly you shall crawl, and dust you shall eat all the days of your life. I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her seed; He shall crush your head, and you shall strike at His heel” (cf. Gn 3:9-15). Likewise, we too attribute the cause of our sins to others, demanding that others bear the consequences for us, and are even more unwilling to accept the God proclaimed by Jesus. Like the Gadarenes, we may ask Jesus to leave us, because we think: God is a God of justice, not a God who loves man.

Then, how can we eliminate such feelings of resistance?

First: We must accept our present selves, accepting our various shortcomings. Next: Offer prayer to God, imploring the Word of God to grant us strength, firmly believing that where the Word of God is present, the devil and all factors contrary to Christ will cease to exist. Third: Welcome the Word of God, allowing the Word of God to dwell in our hearts, letting Him transform us, and making our hearts beat in tune with His Sacred Heart. Finally: Follow the guidance of the Holy Spirit, living out the Word of God according to the will of the Holy Spirit, living according to the spirit of the Word of God. Then, we will no longer harbor resistance toward the Word of God but become Christians in the true sense of the word.

O God, who through the grace of adoption chose us to be children of light, grant, we pray, that we may not be wrapped in the darkness of error but always be seen to stand in the bright light of truth. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and ever

©Totus Tuus 2026
Cum Approbatione Ecclesiastica