Sunday homily on Galatians 1:11 and Luke 8:26-39
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Imagine a man who spent his whole life in a small, dark room. He was not born there, but he found himself inside one day. Over time, he grew used to the shadows, and although the door was always open, he never left. He started believing the darkness was his home. The walls gave him comfort, and the isolation became his routine.
One day, a friend opened the door wide, flooding the room with sunlight. Yet, the man did not move; the light felt painful to his eyes. His friend pleaded, “Come out! There is a whole world outside, fresh air, green fields, and blue sky. You are free to leave!” The man hesitated and replied, “No, this is my home now. I prefer to stay where it’s familiar, even if it’s dark.”
This is much like the story of the demon-possessed man in Luke 8. He was living in a “prison without bars,” trapped not by physical chains, but by spiritual and mental darkness. Though alive, he lived among the tombs, isolated from true community, from God, and even from himself. When Christ arrived, He brought light and healing. The man’s freedom came not from broken chains, but from Christ freeing him from his inner darkness.
Many of us may also find ourselves trapped in prisons of our own making, unforgiveness, bitterness, addictions, or fears. We grow so used to these chains that when Christ comes to free us, we hesitate. The familiar darkness feels safer than the unknown light. Yet Christ does not force the door open; He invites us to step out.
Today, the Church places before us two readings that speak to this transformative power of encountering Christ: St Paul’s letter to the Galatians (Galatians 1:11-19) and the Gospel account of the healing of the Gadarene demoniac (Luke 8:26-39). At first glance, they seem unrelated, but both share a profound truth: the radical change that happens when one encounters the Living God.
In Galatians, St Paul emphasises that the Gospel he preaches is “not according to man.” He did not receive it from any human, but through a direct revelation of Jesus Christ. St John Chrysostom notes, “Paul was an enemy of Christ before he became an apostle. This shows the power of grace, transforming a persecutor into a great teacher of the Gospel.”
St Paul’s life before Christ was full of zeal for the traditions of his ancestors, which led him to persecute the Church. But after meeting Christ on the road to Damascus, everything changed. His conversion was a complete transformation, from a persecutor to one of the greatest apostles. He writes, “When it pleased God… to reveal His Son in me,” showing this revelation was not external but an inner transformation.
In the Gospel passage, the possessed man had lost all humanity, living among the tombs, naked and driven into desolate places by demons. This reflects the effects of sin and demonic influence: it isolates, dehumanises, and separates us from God. Yet, when Christ arrives, even the demons recognise Him, though not out of faith, but out of fear.
The man, like St Paul, experienced a dramatic change. Once tormented, he was found “sitting at the feet of Jesus, clothed and in his right mind.” To sit at Jesus’ feet is to take the position of a disciple. He was clothed, not only in garments but in the dignity of a renewed humanity. St Ambrose of Milan says, “He who was naked in sin is now clothed in the robe of righteousness.”
Both St Paul and the demoniac show us the same truth: true freedom and transformation come not from external changes, but from an inward renewal brought by God’s grace. St Gregory the Great teaches, “When the soul is touched by God’s grace, it is like iron in the fire, it softens and takes on the heat and light of the fire.”
In the end, both men are given a mission. St Paul is called to preach the Gospel to the Gentiles, and the healed demoniac is told, “Return to your home, and declare what great things God has done for you.” Their response to encountering Christ was a life of witness, sharing not just words, but a testimony of transformed lives.
St John Climacus writes, “The beginning of repentance is recognising our sin; the middle is the struggle against it; the end is the witness to God’s grace, which has healed us.” Like the healed man, we too are called to return to our families and communities, declaring what God has done for us.
Brothers and sisters, let us reflect on our own lives considering these readings. Have we experienced the transforming power of Christ? Are we still shackled by sin, or have we been set free to sit at the feet of Jesus, clothed in righteousness? Remember, the Gospel is not a human message, but a divine revelation with the power to turn a persecutor into an apostle and a demoniac into a disciple.
May we encounter Christ in our hearts, be transformed by His grace, and become true witnesses of the great things God has done for us. Amen.
Through the prayers of our holy fathers, Lord Jesus Christ our God, have mercy on us and save us. Amen.
Copyright © 2025 The Rev. Adrian Augustus. The Russian Orthodox Church of the Archangel Michael, Blacktown, NSW
