Reading 1
Jl 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 deprivedof 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.
Gospel
Lk 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 wasteand 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 reliedand 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 restbut, 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 spiritsmore wicked than itself who move in and dwell there,and the last condition of that man is worse than the first.”
Meditation:
Luke 11:15-26
Every kingdom divided against itself will be laid waste and house will fall against house. (Luke 11:17)
There is nothing the evil one loves more than to divide families. Why? Because the family is called to mirror the Trinity, and Satan can’t stand anything that manifests such all-encompassing love. In the same way that the Father, Son, and Spirit show love for one another, we are called to love each of our family members—as well as our brothers and sisters in Christ.
By contrast, there is nothing the Holy Spirit loves more than to unite the body of Christ. Jesus came to gather the scattered children of God into one family. He came to “create in himself one new person … thus establishing peace” (Ephesians 2:15). We need look no further than Pentecost for a moving example of this Spirit-inspired unity. Not only were the apostles filled with boldness to declare the gospel on Pentecost, they also drew three thousand more to their number and devoted themselves to living as one (Acts 2:41-47).
When you see division around you, don’t get discouraged. Instead, take heart. Know that you are on the side of the One who has come to unite. Satan’s kingdom is divided against itself, and it will not stand. The kingdom of God is one complete unity, and it will ultimately triumph over every division.
This is one major reason why the power of the cross is such a blessing. By destroying the sin that has separated us from God, Jesus’ cross has the power to heal and restore every divided human relationship as well. As we fix our eyes on Jesus’ cross and place our faith in its power, we can break down any pride or wounded feelings that foster division. And as you might suspect, the opposite is true as well: If we disregard the cross, we give the devil a greater foothold in our lives as an accuser—both of God and of our brothers and sisters (Genesis 3:4-5; Revelation 12:10).
Don’t let that happen! Ask the Spirit to show you how pride is keeping you divided. Ask him to give you the grace to put that pride to death—to nail it to the cross—so that he can become the principle and power of unity in your heart and in your family.
“Holy Spirit, soften my heart so that I can seek unity above all else.”
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