Being Christians in Our Families

by Angela Santana, Ministry Coordinator

"Go home to your family and announce to them all that the Lord in his pity has done for you." Mk. 5:19

Jesus is telling us so many things today in the gospel reading (Mk. 5:1-20): he is friend and savior to the outcast, to the ones seemingly overcome by evil. We often focus on these themes when we read about how Jesus cast the demons into swine, freeing the possessed man. How mighty is our God!

But how often do we think about what Jesus says—not to the demons—to the man himself?

Rather than saying, "Come, follow me," as he had done with the apostles, Jesus sends the freed man forth—to his family. The freed man has a special vocation from God to share the Lord’s mercy and love with the members of his family.

Certainly, this would not happen only through words; the man had been possessed! When he returned home, his family would immediately notice a difference, without him saying a word to them. Then, when they saw that he had been freed from evil, that he was a new person, they would surely ask him, "How has this happened to you?"

In response to the curiosity and openness of their hearts and minds, the freed man could "announce to them all that the Lord in his pity has done" for him.

Let’s look at our own lives and see: How are we sharing God’s love with our families?

Have we allowed God to truly free us?
Are we coming home as a person transformed by the Lord?
Do our actions cause our neighbors to wonder about the source of our hope and joy?
Are we allowing God’s power to work through us, so that the hearts of those around us might be opened to His message of love?
Do we stop to think about all that God has done for us?
Have we opened ourselves to experience God so profoundly that we are glad to share His message with others, including our families?

We at the Pilgrim Center of Hope challenge you today, and each day of this week, to examine your life through this powerful gospel story. May God bless you and free you in His Mercy.