This day we hear proclaimed Jesus’ encounter with the Gadarene demoniacs (Mt 8:28-34).  When Jesus enters their territory, two demoniacs living in the tombs meet him, calling out the words above.  They ask that if He drives them out that they be allowed to enter a herd or swine.  Jesus agrees as He exorcises them and they all rush into the sea and drown.  The swineherds run to the townspeople and tell them of this, whereupon all ask Jesus to leave their area.  It seems that the attitude of the possessed men and the townspeople were similar.  They wanted nothing to do with Jesus.  We, on the other hand, should want everything to do with Jesus.  If there is any part of our lives in of which we’d prefer Jesus not be a part, we must examine that attitude in ourselves.  Is Jesus excluded from the bedroom?  The boardroom or meeting room?  The coffee klatch?  The pub?  If Jesus isn’t Lord of all aspects of our lives, we allow Him to be Lord of none of it.  Let us constantly ask the Lord to help us to resist temptation and avoid sin so that we concede no part of ourselves to anything but Him.  We “do not do what [we] want, but [we] do what [we] hate” (Rm 7:15) but we must continue to “work out [our] salvation with fear and trembling” (Phil 2:12).  God always desires to give us the grace necessary so that by His gift of faith we can work in love (cf. Gal 5:6).