“I know who you are, the Holy One of God.”

Jesus teaches with authority in today’s gospel. A man with an unclean spirit encounters the holiness of Jesus. It is the unclean spirit who recognizes Jesus.

In our lives, the suffering or the loneliness or the sin or the anguish is what recognizes Jesus. Our poverty proclaims what Jesus can do for us if we allow our true selves to encounter the beauty and mystery of Christ Jesus.

Today, the unclean spirit might be named mental illness. We still fear mental illness and we still blame people who suffer emotional disorders. We blame people so often for possessing what we fear. We must realize that even our diseases may recognize the healing power of Jesus.

I pray that we may hear the voice of Jesus that bears only hope for us. I pray for such healing for people who suffer any emotional disorder or mental illness.

This painting is to help us reflect on the chaotic lives of people who suffer emotional disorders. The frenzy of life, the inability to concentrate, the problems of living up to other’s expectations, are all ares of life to reflect upon for people marginalized by mental illness, brain injuries and various learning disabilities. I pray this painting may lead us to prayer and the assurance that we are united in Jesus.