In our enlightened culture, when we read about “unclean spirits” in scripture, as we do in this week’s gospel lesson, we tend to think about how far we’ve come since biblical times, how much more we know about the world and how things work than the people of Jesus’ day did, in other words, how superior we are. I wonder though how far our intellectual understanding, our scientific progress has brought us in our relationship with God.

The concept of “unclean” for the Jews comes from Leviticus, the Third Book of Moses in the Torah. The Law of Purification found there deals with all the things that cause ritual uncleanness, things that resulting in separating people from one another, from the community, and from God. Looking at “unclean spirits” in that light, I suggest to you that there are plenty of them alive and well in our world today. Just consider all the things in our lives and in the world around us that causes division. For example, I suspect you won’t have to look very far to find some vestiges of pride hanging around, or one of its attendants, arrogance, vanity, snob-bery. And what about the inappropriate acting out of anger, bitterness, resent-ment, vengeance, or unforgiveness? There’s always envy around which shows itself in jealousy, prejudice, gossip, ridicule, and such like. Or maybe covetousness shows up where folks pursue status, power, success at any price, even resorting to lying, cheating, stealing to get what they want. In our culture gluttony is common, with its overindulgence in food, drink, work, consumerism in the inordinate quest for pleasure or comfort, along with the neglect of our health. And lust follows right along, hiding in the shadows, as another gross misuse of personal gratification. If you haven’t yet recognized any “unclean spirits” in your own life, surely sloth will call your name. Who among us doesn’t goof off or procrastinate from time to time? And sloth, you know, also includes indifference to the sufferings of others like the goats in Jesus parable in the gospel of Matthew (25:31-46).

Do the “unclean spirits” I’ve pointed out sound familiar? They are, of course, what the Church calls the seven deadly sins, no doubt because harboring them in our hearts is death to our relationships with God and one another. Thank goodness, we have Christ Jesus to open our eyes to see where we have made a home for “unclean spirits” in our lives and to cast them out, cleansing us today just as he did for the man in the synagogue.