Book of Shadows

  

Midweek Evensong

First Week after Epiphany

A Reading from Mark’s Gospel:

And immediately he left the synagogue, and entered the house of Simon and Andrew, with James and John. Now Simon’s mother-in-law lay sick with a fever, and immediately they told him of her. And he came and took her by the hand and lifted her up, and the fever left her; and she served them.

That evening, at sundown, they brought to him all who were sick or possessed with demons. And the whole city was gathered together about the door. And he healed many who were sick with various diseases, and cast out many demons; and he would not permit the demons to speak, because they knew him.

And in the morning, a great while before day, he rose and went out to a lonely place, and there he prayed. And Simon and those who were with him pursued him, and they found him and said to him, “Every one is searching for you.” And he said to them, “Let us go on to the next towns, that I may preach there also; for that is why I came out.” And he went throughout all Galilee, preaching in their synagogues and casting out demons.

And a leper came to him beseeching him, and kneeling said to him, “If you will, you can make me clean.” Moved with pity, he stretched out his hand and touched him, and said to him, “I will; be clean.” And immediately the leprosy left him, and he was made clean. And he sternly charged him, and sent him away at once, and said to him, “See that you say nothing to any one; but go, show yourself to the priest, and offer for your cleansing what Moses commanded, for a proof to the people.”

But he went out and began to talk freely about it, and to spread the news, so that Jesus could no longer openly enter a town, but was out in the country; and people came to him from every quarter.

The Word of the Lord. Thanks be to God.

Homily:

Lord, we pray for the preacher, for you know his sins are great.

Grace, mercy and peace to you from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.

A colleague of mine recently recommended to me a Catholic exorcism manual. It’s my third one. There’s a Lutheran exorcism guide on my bedside table and an Eastern Orthodox one in my office, though that last one’s more about ghosts than demons. He’s actually the second exorcist whom I’ve known personally, and these days it appears that he’s really rather busy. Kicking the devil’s behind becomes a fulltime gig.

Exorcisms, I am reliably informed, are at an all-time historical high. Been a big spike in recent decades. We might think that ghosts and ghoulies and long-legged beasties and things that go bump in the night would be but the relics of an older, more fearful world. We are children of the Enlightenment now, are we not? The products of progress, the scions of science, ours is a republic of reason. Never mind that the French Revolution executed more people in nine months than the Inquisition did in over 300 years.

I’m not an exorcist. I have no desire to be one. All I know is that I’ve seen strange things over the years, and that in this I am far from alone. People come into my office all the time—sane, healthy, normal, taxpaying people—to shut the door behind them and speak in whispered tones of angels and demons, ghosts and hags. Our world is weirder than we would wish, and it ain’t gettin’ any more rational as we go.

Nor is this simply some Q-Anon phenomenon. The Buddhists, as I understand it, have been busy in China and Japan: strange stories of spirits in Communist offices, of ghosts in Fukushima. Even the neopagans are in on the act. They do a lot of exorcisms, cleansings, banishings. Demand is high, so supply will answer. Nor do I think it any coincidence that Americans just can’t get enough of haunted houses, UFOs, bigfoots, black-eyed kids, werewolves, and witches.

The strange is here to stay. The Age of Reason has not banished any of it, though to speak of it too loudly now is gauche. Even as organized religion wanes in the West, myriad spiritualities spring up to take its place. The alternative to organized religion is not no religion. The alternative to organized religion is disorganized religion, and this we have in spades. Besides, anyone who thinks that science and religion aren’t compatible honestly knows little of either.

Maybe this all sounds quite crazy to you—literally crazy. It sounds like superstition, or mental illness. In fact, it’s a little embarrassing to talk about, like airing dirty laundry from the pulpit. Should this be your take, I envy you. I envy your faith. It could all be nonsense, really. We’d certainly be more comfortable that way. And it would take not one whit from the mercies and the ministries of Jesus Christ, to understand the devil as an abstraction. I know faithful Christians who do.

And yet the world is weird, and much is unexplained. There are still more things in heaven and earth than are dreamt of in our philosophies. And whether we ignore them, or we embrace them, we cannot deny that they’re there—in the shadows. Perhaps it’s all in our heads. But I’m not convinced that that would make it any less real.

Regardless, here’s the take-home message: whatever form evil takes, be it spiritual, tyrannical, mental, or physical, Jesus Christ opposes it. Jesus Christ banishes it. Jesus Christ heals it. There is no hint in the Gospels that evil is the will of God. He does not cause sickness. He does not send devils. He does not tell us to suck it up when despair and depression descend. No. These are our enemies, death is our enemy, and therefore they are God’s enemies. He shall show them no quarter.

Jesus heals the sick, comforts the afflicted, exorcises demons, speaks truth to power, forgives sinners, frees those in bondage, and raises up all of the dead. And Christ for us is God, you understand. He is Immanuel, God-With-Us, God in the flesh. Thus there is no question as to who will win. Ultimately, God is triumphant. In eternity, He’s already won—He’s won every single one of us, and crushed death and hell beneath His feet. That’s the reality to which we’re returning. That’s our home.

Yes, there are powers in this world greater than us. That holds true whether we’re talking about demons or depression, cancer or conflict. Yet our hope is this, our faith is this: that Jesus Christ has conquered death and hell; that nothing in all of Creation—above, below, or upon this earth—could ever separate us from the love of God in Jesus Christ our Lord.

When you are sick, when you are fearful, when you are lonely or anxious or oppressed—hell, even when you’re haunted—know that Christ is with you. Know He cannot fail. He will see you through this. He will save you from this. Even death is not the end, not for us, not anymore. Now it is the gate to life everlasting, the fulfilment of our Baptism. Shadows fear the Light.

Whatever ails you is not the will of God; He cares only for your good. And while evil may seem to have sway for a time, keep your eyes on the Cross. Look to the wide-open tomb. Christ is risen, alleluia! And so we too shall arise. I pray for your healing. I pray your protection. I pray nothing but gratitude, joy, and deep love in this life, for you and for us all. But when evil does come knocking, as surely it comes to us each, have faith. Its power over you is but an illusion.

Christ is in the pain. Christ is in the dark. Christ is in the grave. And He will lead us out. He toppled Satan from his throne in the heart of Hades. Whatever may oppose us in this life, I promise you, in the end, it does not have a prayer.

Death, the devil, and all of despair lie broken apart on the cornerstone of Christ. Know this is the promise that is given to us all. Know that His eternal life eternal is given to you now. For the demons also believe, and tremble.

In the Name of the Father and of the +Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.