In the Book of Genesis, we know that one of the first things that God instructed Adam to do was to name the animals. Have you ever wondered why? It’s because when you name something, you gain dominion over it and God wanted man to have dominion over God’s creation. When you name something, when you express something, when you let it out, you put yourself in a position where you are in control.
Today’s Gospel illustrates this in a dramatic and impactful way. As Jesus was preaching in the synagogue at Capernaum, a poor demented man created a scene. Jesus wasn’t put off by the man’s outburst. In the cry, “What do you want with us?” he heard a cry for help. So, he healed him. There are many such people in the world today. They are in our prisons, in our hospitals, and in society. They are sick, broken, isolated, unloved people, who have no dignity, and whose self-esteem is zero. Equally true is that any of us could find ourselves in a situation where we are desperate. It could be caused by any number of things – addiction, depression, mental illness …
Recognition that there is a problem is the first step towards rehabilitation. The man in the synagogue didn’t hide how he was. He voiced his anguish in public. Often we are afraid to talk about something that is hurting us. We have a tendency to hide what is painful, and to act as if everything was normal. We keep our problem locked up inside us where it festers. We won’t ask for help.
The urge to hide our problems is very powerful. We find it hard to admit that we can’t manage our problems. Pride tells us: I should be able to handle my own problems. We may be aware of our need, but hide it for fear of appearing inadequate. The important thing, we tell ourselves, is to be strong. And so, we keep our suffering to ourselves. We fear that we will lose face if we admit our need. Experience may have taught us that displaying weakness does not create respect. Therefore, it is better to bear our burden in secret. This is a mistake. Unvoiced suffering is more harrowing than suffering that cries aloud.
This is why the sacrament of Reconciliation is such a gift. That is why going to Confession is so liberating. It might be tempting to keep our most embarrassing sins secret but secrecy is a prime enemy of the Christian life. Think of an alcoholic who must be always hiding a bottle of whisky somewhere. St Ignatius of Loyola says that the devil acts in our lives like a false lover who wants to keep his work secret. Satan hates above all else for us to reveal what he is doing in our lives because the devil cannot work in the open. So, revealing our sins is necessary since, as the Catechism says, “if the sick person is too ashamed to show his wound to the doctor, the medicine cannot heal what it does not know.”
