Reading I
Jer 7:23-28
Thus says the LORD:
This is what I commanded my people:
Listen to my voice;
then I will be your God and you shall be my people.
Walk in all the ways that I command you,
so that you may prosper.
But they obeyed not, nor did they pay heed.
They walked in the hardness of their evil hearts
and turned their backs, not their faces, to me.
From the day that your fathers left the land of Egypt even to this day,
I have sent you untiringly all my servants the prophets.
Yet they have not obeyed me nor paid heed;
they have stiffened their necks and done worse than their fathers.
When you speak all these words to them,
they will not listen to you either;
when you call to them, they will not answer you.
Say to them:
This is the nation that does not listen
to the voice of the LORD, its God,
or take correction.
Faithfulness has disappeared;
the word itself is banished from their speech.
Gospel
Lk 11:14-23
Jesus was driving out a demon that was mute,
and when the demon had gone out,
the mute man spoke and the crowds were amazed.
Some of them 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.”
Meditation: Luke 11:14-23
His very name, Satan, means “Adversary,” yet it seems quite easy for us to minimize his danger.
Even if we accept the devil’s existence, we still find it hard to comprehend his active malevolence. At most we think of him as a sort of ugly extra, not a principal player in the drama of salvation. But Jesus didn’t see the devil as negligible.
Since Satan cannot create anything, he seeks instead to distort and pervert what is already around. For example, we’ve never enjoyed so much freedom in the world yet seen so many strongholds of sin. We’ve never been so self-reliant yet seen so much fear and anxiety. Our world has never seemed so small, yet so many live in isolation and loneliness.
One of Satan’s most frequent and effective strategies is to sow seeds of doubt in our minds. He wants us to doubt God’s love so that we might look for love in other relationships. But how many people have been trapped by love’s counterfeit of sexual promiscuity? Satan wants us to doubt God’s provision so that we force ourselves into an unhealthy sense of self-reliance. Just think of those who have reached the pinnacle of financial success but paid the great price of bankrupt relationships. Satan wants us to doubt the mercy and forgiveness of God so that we remain trapped in guilt.
So what should we do? Put your hope in God’s promises. Whenever you are tempted to doubt God’s love, remind yourself that nothing can separate you from the love of God (Romans 8:35-39). Whenever you are tempted to doubt God’s provision, remind yourself that God, who cares for the flowers of the field and the birds of the air, takes even greater pleasure in providing you with all that you need (Luke 12:22-34). Whenever you doubt God’s forgiveness, remind yourself that God is rich in mercy and slow to anger (Ephesians 2:4; Psalm 103:8). These are all truths that you can stake your life upon! Remember: He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.
“Lord Jesus, you have defeated the power of the devil, and through baptism you have given me a share in your victory. I believe that nothing can separate me from your love. Holy Spirit, fill me with a deep faith and trust in God’s promises.”
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