(Optional Memorial for Saint Denis, Bishop and Martyr, and His
Companions, Martyrs)
(Optional Memorial for Saint John Leonardi, Priest)
 |
| “An Angel and a Devil Fighting for the Soul of a Child” by Giacinto Gimignani, 1650s |
Reading 1: Joel
1:13-15; 2:1-2
Gird yourselves and weep, O
priests!
wail, O ministers of the
altar!
Come, spend the night in
sackcloth,
O ministers of my God!
The house of your God is
deprived
of offering and libation.
Proclaim a fast,
call an assembly;
Gather the elders,
all who dwell in the land,
Into the house of the LORD,
your God,
and cry to the LORD!
Alas, the day!
for near is the day of the LORD,
and it comes as ruin from the
Almighty.
Blow the trumpet in Zion
sound the alarm on my holy
mountain!
Let all who dwell in the land
tremble,
for the day of the LORD is
coming;
Yes, it is near, a day of
darkness and of gloom,
a day of clouds and
somberness!
Like dawn spreading over the
mountains,
a people numerous and mighty!
Their like has not been from
of old,
nor will it be after them,
even to the years of distant
generations.
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Commentary on Jl 1:13-15; 2:1-2
The oracle of the
Prophet Joel is set against a time (around 400 B.C.) when Israel
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Responsorial Psalm: Psalm
9:2-3, 6 and 16, 8-9
R. (9) The Lord will judge the world with justice.
I will give thanks to you, O
LORD, with all my heart;
I will declare all your
wondrous deeds.
I will be glad and exult in
you;
I will sing praise to your
name, Most High.
R. The Lord will judge the
world with justice.
You rebuked the nations and
destroyed the wicked;
their name you blotted out
forever and ever.
The nations are sunk in the
pit they have made;
in the snare they set, their
foot is caught.
R. The Lord will judge the
world with justice.
But the LORD sits enthroned
forever;
he has set up his throne for
judgment.
He judges the world with
justice;
he governs the peoples with
equity.
R. The Lord will judge the
world with justice.
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Commentary on Ps 9:2-3, 6 and 16, 8-9
The assembly of
the strophes from Psalm 9 gives us first a poem of thanksgiving. This is followed by a recollection of God’s
support of the children of Israel
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Gospel: Luke
11:15-26
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
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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Commentary on Lk 11:15-26
In this selection from St.
Luke’s Gospel, the Lord is challenged by the Pharisees who do not deny the
reality of the miracle, but want one of national importance (as befitting the
Royal Messiah) as opposed to the one he performs – salvation for the poor and
needy. His critics say that he has power over evil spirits because he is in
league with Satan, their master. Jesus refutes this idea (he actually makes an
allusion to Exodus 8:15
where by the “finger of God” Moses brought about God’s will and the Egyptian magicians were unable
to duplicate his actions) asking “if Satan is divided
against himself, how will his kingdom stand?” He then tells his audience that God is stronger than Satan which is
why he is able to cast them out.
The passage concludes with
subtle but important message that says in essence – if an evil that tortures
the spirit is removed and strength from God is not substituted to fill it up,
that evil will return, worse than before (see also 2
Peter 2:20).
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Reflection:
The challenge of Jesus in the
Gospel is handled relatively easily with the Lord simply applying logic to the
situation. When these members of the
crowd start the rumor that the reason Jesus has power over evil spirits is
because he is somehow in league with Beelzebul or Satan, the Lord virtually scoffs as he says “…if Satan is divided against himself, how will his kingdom
stand?” Even the idea of their mistrust is difficult
for us who know the Lord’s true identity.
If we find it so easy to
believe in Jesus, why is it that belief in the existence of a real and present
Satan is difficult for many of us? Why
is it that when we face a difficult situation we assume that the only barriers
we face to the accomplishment of positive results will be our faith in the Lord
and our own good sense? We frequently
fall into the trap of assuming that just because we think, on the surface, an
objective is a good one or our action is what God would want, does not mean the
Evil One is not standing right beside us encouraging us (or discouraging us) as
well.
Here is an example. Let’s say a Sister
of Charity happens to encounter a
homeless man. The man appears to be
hungry and destitute. Sister’s heart
goes out to him as would the heart of her patron, St. Vincent DePaul. Now her order insists that no Sister may put
herself in harm’s way even for a charitable cause but this sister feels the man
genuinely needs her help and decides to drive him to a nearby shelter so he can
be fed and taken care of. Once in the
car, the man pulls a weapon and forces the Sister to drive up an alley and the
rest can be imagined.
The impulse of Christ was
what drove sister to put aside caution but unfortunately, as heroic as her
action may have seemed, it allowed Satan, who had long held sway over the man,
to put another nail into the Crucified Christ the sister’s husband. As difficult as it is, we must always
remember that the innocence of the Garden of Eden was ruined by the embodiment
of Satan in the snake. Always he is
present and we must be cautious.
While it is true for all of
us who attempt to do God’s work. It is
most especially important for the Church’s vowed, consecrated and ordained
servants who are special targets of the Champion of Evil. Evan as we strive to achieve the faith of a
little child we must always be on our guard that we do not inadvertently assist
Beelzebul
in his plan of domination and destruction.
Pax
[2]
The picture is “An Angel and a Devil Fighting for the Soul of a Child” by
Giacinto Gimignani, 1650s
[3]
The readings are taken from the New American Bible with the exception of the
Psalm and its response which were developed by the International Committee for
English in Liturgy (ICEL). This re-publication is not authorized by USCCB and
is for private use only.
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