07/01/2022

The Collect of today prays that we keep our faith in our minds. I have always been confused between mind and soul. I vaguely remember being taught that my soul contained my memory and understanding. We all know how these two abilities vary from person to person as do our physical bodies. In our brains doctors have been able to demonstrate the location of the memory, colour perception and other mental processes.

Damage to the physical brain results in the impairment of our mental abilities. How can we care for our souls if our minds are not working properly. Jesus cast out devils. St John tells us that we have the Spirit of God dwelling in us but that we are assailed by other spirits who are fighting against God.

God's work for us is recorded in the Scriptures and today's Gospel tells us how Jesus walked and taught all over Galilee even in the Decapolis where the populations were non-semitic and had Greek for their first language. Here it was that Jesus drove out the spirits that ultimately caused the herd of pigs to suicide.

So many events occur in the Gospels and are recorded with very few words that we do have to use our imaginations. As we use the power of our minds and imaginations about the Gospels, we must let the Spirit of God guard our minds against the spirits that would mislead us ; chief of which is the spirit of pride.

Dear Lord during your time on earth you met so many people in so many places. What would I have done if alive then and greeted by you? May Our Lady and all your sainted disciples share their graces with me and all your people here on earth and still suffering in Purgatory.