Gen 21:5,8-20
Matthew 8:28-34
In the twists and turns of life, we all like our stories to be tied up with neat endings; the hero wins, the victims are rescued, justice is served, and all mysteries are revealed. But today’s readings are not so neat.
In today’s first reading, we hear a poignant tale of Hagar and Ishmael of the House of Abraham. They were sent out into the wilderness and were at the point of death. But the Lord comes to rescue them. From then on “God was with the boy as he grew up.”
Further reading, however, reveals that Ishmael is back with Jacob when he is 13 years old! The threads of this story become more and more tangled the deeper we explore. It reads like a modern soap opera, with brother set against brother, Mother against stepson. In the end, Ishmael returns to the family for his father’s funeral.
In today’s gospel, we have another kind of loose-end story. Jesus cured two men plagued by demons by sending the evil spirits into a herd of swine. The townspeople seem not to be too much concerned about the miracle but rather about the herd of swine that headed downhill into the lake at once. Rather than see this miracle as God saving power over the soul, they told Jesus to leave their district.
God alone can see the whole skein of our lives. The choice to do good or bad lies in our hands. We are urged today to care for others and to see life as sacred just as we also have received healing, holiness, and care from God, Our Father. Let it be!
Fr Joseph Osho