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”
impulse, 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.”
Friday of the Twenty-seventh Week in Ordinary Time
Lectionary: 465
Brothers and sisters:
Realize that it is those who have faith
who are children of Abraham.
Scripture, which saw in advance that God
would justify the Gentiles by faith,
foretold the good news to Abraham, saying,
Through you shall all the nations be blessed.Consequently, those who have faith are blessed
along with Abraham who had faith.
For all who depend on works of the law are under a curse;
for it is written,
Cursed be everyone
who does not persevere in doing all the things
written in the book of the law.And that no one is justified before God by the law is clear,
for
the one who is righteous by faith will live.But the law does not depend on faith;
rather,
the one who does these things will live by them.Christ ransomed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us,
for it is written,
Cursed be everyone who hangs on a tree,that the blessing of Abraham might be extended
to the Gentiles through Christ Jesus,
so that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.
When Jesus had driven out a demon, some of the crowd said:
"By the power of Beelzebul, the prince of demons,
he drives out demons."
Others, to test him, asked him for a sign from heaven.
But he knew their thoughts and said to them,
"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?
For you say that it is by Beelzebul that I drive out demons.
If I, then, drive out demons by Beelzebul,
by whom do your own people drive them out?
Therefore they will be your judges.
But if it is by the finger of God that I drive out demons,
then the Kingdom of God has come upon you.
When a strong man fully armed guards his palace,
his possessions are safe.
But when one stronger than he attacks and overcomes him,
he takes away the armor on which he relied
and distributes the spoils.
Whoever is not with me is against me,
and whoever does not gather with me scatters.
"When an unclean spirit goes out of someone,
it roams through arid regions searching for rest
but, finding none, it says,
'I shall return to my home from which I came.'
But upon returning, it finds it swept clean and put in order.
Then it goes and brings back seven other spirits
more wicked than itself who move in and dwell there,
and the last condition of that man is worse than the first."
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