In today's Gospel, the whole toewn goes out to meet Jesus. The response we would expect would be for them to be overjoyed as the people of Samaria were following the Lord's encounter with the Samaritan woman at the well. However, in this case, they are afriad and ask him to leave. He does. He respects their freedom as tragic as their choice may be. When a person is blessed with an encounter of the Holy Spirit (and in His abundant mercy He reaches out to us all the time - to believers and unbelievers alike) how we respond directs our life in reference to the eternal horizon towards death and judgment. The demons know this in today's episode. They beg not to be tortured before "the time." Sadly, the town's follk through their fear and attachment to worldly things don't have this understanding of who it is who is beofre them or they willingly refuse to believe. Ironically, the demons' response tells us more about who Jesus is and our need to listen to Him, then the ordinary people in today's Gospel. May we seek the grace of God to always respond to Him and not turn away. Glory to God! Fr. Ephraim