Friends,
in today's Gospel we learn of a person possessed by a demon. Jesus
meets the man and drives out the demon, but then is immediately accused
of being in league with Satan. Some of the witnesses said, "By the power
of Beelzebul, the prince of demons, he drives out demons." Jesus'
response is wonderful in its logic and laconicism: "Every kingdom
divided against itself will be laid waste and house will fall against
house. And if Satan is divided against himself, how will his kingdom
stand?"
The demonic power is always one of scattering. It breaks up communion. But Jesus, as always, is the voice of communio,
of one bringing things back together. Think back to Jesus' feeding of
the five thousand. Facing a large, hungry crowd, his disciples beg him
to "dismiss the crowds so that they can go to the villages and buy food
for themselves." But Jesus answers, "There is no need for them to go
away; give them some food yourselves."
Whatever
drives the Church apart is an echo of this "dismiss the crowds," and a
reminder of the demonic tendency to divide. In times of trial and
threat, this is a very common instinct. We blame, attack, break up, and
disperse. But Jesus is right: "There is no need for them to go away."
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