Think for a moment about one thing you do that you really wish you didn’t do.

Is it something you buy, consume, watch or say that you really wish you could stop buying, consuming, watching or saying?

Now think about what it would be like to never do it again - to be free from your worst habit, pattern or tendency - to be released and liberated to be your very best self.

I like to think that this must have been close to what was going on in Sunday’s gospel passage from St. Mark, which tells the story of a demon-possessed man whom Jesus set free. We don’t know who he was or what had afflicted him, but we do know that Mark places this episode at the beginning of his book - as the very first miracle of Jesus’ ministry. And this was probably not an accident.

As you and I know, the Bible tells us many healing stories about Jesus – 16 to be exact. These were people who suffered from a range of maladies from blood loss to death, yet it was this incident, the casting out of a demon that grabs Mark’s attention.

I like to think that it’s the reality and metaphor of Christ’s role as one who came to set all of humanity free that so captured his attention - and should ours as well. Think hard again on this question: what one thing do you do that you really wish you didn’t do? Have you trusted Christ to set you free from this? Can you try it this week?