Gospel Reflection: Mk. 1: 21-28

At the height of extrajudicial killings in Payatas, we were collaborating with Christians of different denominations who were willing to discuss the violent phenomenon that beset our community. There were many ideas on how to respond to it – to take care of widows and orphans, to document the cases, to process the children’s trauma, to sue the police, to network with other victims, etc.

I was struck when one pastor said: “Maybe we can do the prayer of deliverance on the places where these men were killed. The blood spilled on these lands calls us to exorcise the evil that befell into it.” Though I am convinced that killing is outright evil, it appeared new to me to be able to connect demonic possession, religious exorcism and political power.

The ministry of exorcism came in vogue in the present times. The Vatican recently started an exorcism training program. Each Catholic diocese has to establish the office of the exorcist; and these “official exorcists” are now giving seminars all over the place. Evangelicals and Protestants call the same practice “deliverance”. 

But this is not new. Our ancestors in the villages immediately call a “shaman”, a “mananambal” or “arbularyo” in order to deal with these strange intrusions into the life of their societies – either in individual psyches or in the lifeworld of the community. In the time of plagues or epidemic, images of San Roque, Santo Nino or the Blessed Virgin are brought in procession around town to bring in healing and to free us from the evil that befell us.

Contemporary researches on the historical Jesus tell us that he was a miracle worker, a healer and an exorcist. He was a peasant Jewish cynic, an itinerant preacher who denounces the mainstream lifestyle – its materialism, social inequality, political domination – and expressed it by his living a counter-cultural life. From time to time, he exorcize evil spirits and free the poor from its clutches. And his liminal existence at the margins was a protest and stinging critique to the dominant and oppressive status quo.

So, in the Gospel this Sunday, when Jesus started his ministry with healing and exorcism, he wanted to proclaim that the Kingdom of God is opposite the reign of evil in the world – social, economic and religious evil. His Kingdom is that of justice, love and well-being; where oppression, hatred and exclusion do not have a place.

In the time of Jesus as it is today, demonic possession is an accepted cultural explanation of all kinds of problems – not only medical and psychological, but also economic and political. “Demonic possession” do not only happen among mentally disturbed persons. Beyond the psychological, greater demonic incursions are brought about by the impunity of populist political leaders and harsh economic conditions in globalization. For example, there were simultaneous “demonic possession” of workers on the floors of multinational factories in Malaysia or a collective mass fainting in garment factories in Cambodia and some other places, maybe as reaction to very oppressive situation and gender aggression in the workplace.

And in Jesus’ time as it is today, the work of exorcism was also a sign of political and religious protest against all the incursions into the human and social bodies. Exorcism was a ritual to ward off hegemonic “invaders” – of sickness invading the human body, of violent policemen and corrupt politicians assaulting the lives of the poor in their shanties, of mining companies with big capital intruding into the once sustainable indigenous communities – causing exclusion, marginalization and senseless death.

Proclaiming God’s kingdom today also means exorcizing evil spirits – some of them in military uniforms, others in long-sleeved barong, and some others in religious tunics – all calling themselves “Honorable”. Jesus called them “hypocrites”! They violently imprisoned the poor who violated some minor protocols but let go of corrupt politicians who gained from government deals or steal 15M pesos from the much needed PhilHealth funds. I can go on "ad infinitum".

Somewhere in the end of his ministry, he exorcised the Temple where they all dwelt. My pastor-friend was right. We need to exorcise these places where the vulnerable poor are unknowingly possessed and killed by evil spirits who wear masks, bringing high powered guns, some riding in official cars, others riding in tandem. The exorcist only needs to be careful. The devil is vicious. Jesus exorcized and confronted the power of evil in his society. For this, he paid the price - he was crucified.

Jesus, the exorcist and healer, have mercy on us!

Daniel Franklin E. Pilario, CM
St. Vincent School of Theology
Adamson University
danielfranklinpilario@yahoo.com
01.31.2021