Gospel (Mk 3,7-12) - At that time, Jesus with his disciples retreated to the sea and a large crowd from Galilee followed him. From Judea and Jerusalem, from Idumea and from beyond the Jordan and from the parts of Tire and Sidon, a large crowd, hearing what he was doing, came to him. Then he told his disciples to keep a boat ready for him, because of the crowd, so that they would not crush him. In fact he had healed many, so that those who had some ailment threw themselves on him to touch him. The impure spirits, when they saw him, fell at his feet and shouted: "You are the Son of God!". But he strictly ordered them not to reveal who he was.

The commentary on the Gospel by Monsignor Vincenzo Paglia

Crowds are often among the protagonists of the Gospel. Jesus, in whatever city or region he goes, is always surrounded by many who come from all regions, as this passage reminds us. Like all crowds, today's stragglers are intrusive. They physically need someone who understands and helps them. This is why they continue to press: they want to get closer, touch and unload all their pain, all their hopes on that good man. "They threw themselves on him to touch him", notes the evangelist. Those who are in need and do not resign themselves inevitably become intrusive. Jesus knows this well. But he doesn't turn anyone away. He decides to get on a boat to move away a little from the shore and be able to see everyone. It's easy to imagine him talking to them again. It is a scene that is striking in its strength. That boat becomes a new pulpit for Jesus. And how can we not see the image of the Church in it? We must then ask ourselves seriously: where can today's crowds, larger than those of the past, "touch" Jesus? Where can the many who are in need bring the baggage of their pain and their hopes and be healed and consoled? Shouldn't our Christian communities today be the body of Jesus that the poor and weak can reach out to and "touch"? It is a Church like this that this world of ours needs. Today, even more than yesterday, the barriers posed by those who are well off, be they individuals or even nations, seem to be growing to prevent the crowds of poor people, especially those from the South of the world, from even touching our borders. These barriers are inspired by those "impure spirits" of which the evangelist speaks, who want to prevent the word of Jesus from reaching the hearts of those who listen to him. The Gospel shows us how much Jesus' strength is stronger than that of such spirits.