Friday of the Twenty-seventh Week in Ordinary Time
Lectionary: 465
Reading 1
Galatians 3:7-14
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.
Responsorial Psalm
Psalm 111:1B-2, 3-4, 5-6
R. (5) The Lord will remember his covenant for ever.
I will give thanks to the LORD with all my heart
in the company and assembly of the just.
Great are the works of the LORD,
exquisite in all their delights.
R. The Lord will remember his covenant for ever.
Majesty and glory are his work,
and his justice endures forever.
He has won renown for his wondrous deeds;
gracious and merciful is the LORD.
R. The Lord will remember his covenant for ever.
He has given food to those who fear him;
he will forever be mindful of his covenant.
He has made known to his people the power of his works,
giving them the inheritance of the nations.
R. The Lord will remember his covenant for ever.
Alleluia
John 12:31B-32
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
The prince of this world will now be cast out,
and when I am lifted up from the earth
I will draw all to myself, says the Lord.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
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 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.”
Reflection 1
Catholic Daily Reflections
Overcoming “Neutrality”
“Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters.” Luke 11:23
These words are embedded within several powerful teachings of Jesus, but, in many ways, this single sentence can stand alone as an important Christian truth. Specifically, it tells us that we cannot be neutral in our position regarding Jesus and all that He has taught us. This is an important message in the world today.
Today, there seems to be a growing secular value that we might call “neutrality.” We are told by many in the world that we must accept any morality, any lifestyle, any choice that others make. And though it is true that we must always love and accept every person and treat them with the utmost dignity and respect, it is not true that we should be neutral to the choices and secular values that some choose to live and express. Sadly, when we do speak the full truth, especially the many moral truths our Lord has revealed, we are often labeled as judgmental. But this is not the truth.
This quote above from today’s Gospel makes it clear that we cannot remain indifferent to the teachings of our Lord and still remain in His good graces. In fact, Jesus makes it clear that the opposite is true. He says that if we are not with Him, meaning, if we do not accept all that He has revealed, then we are, in fact, against Him. Being neutral on matters of faith and morality is not actually being neutral at all. It’s a choice that some make that has the clear effect of separating them from Jesus.
For example, regarding matters of faith, if someone were to say, “I do not believe in the Eucharist,” then they are, in fact, rejecting God. And though it is not our duty to be their judge, it is our duty to acknowledge that they have expressed a belief contrary to the truth. They are in error, and if they persist in this error, then they do separate themselves from God. That’s what Jesus is saying.
The same is true regarding morality. There are many examples in the moral life that are becoming more and more blatant in their opposition to our Lord’s teaching. Thus, we must remind ourselves that when we reject a moral teaching given to us by our Lord, we reject Jesus Himself.
Jesus goes even further when He says that “whoever does not gather with me scatters.” In other words, it’s not enough to simply personally believe all that Jesus taught, we must also teach it to others. If we do not and if we, instead, offer a false form of “acceptance” of another’s error, then we are actually working against Jesus. We all have a moral duty to actively promote the truths of the Gospel given to us by our Lord.
Reflect, today, upon how fully you are “with” our Lord and “gather” with Him. Do you fully accept all that He has taught and also seek to gather many others for the Kingdom of God? If you do not see yourself actively believing in and participating in the mission of our Lord, then heed these words of Jesus and allow them to gently but firmly challenge you, so that you will more fully work to build up God’s Kingdom in your own heart and in the world all around you.
Reflection 2
One Bread, One Body
CROSSING STATE LINES
“The result is that the last state of the man is worse than the first.” —Luke 11:26
The worst and sometimes last state of a human being is to be repossessed by a devil and newly possessed by several other devils (Lk 11:26). The first step of the road to this worst state is to be possessed by a devil. Most people think that very few people are in the first or last state. However, in the second letter of Peter, the Lord refers to the first state not as the unusual situation of being demon-possessed but as simply our original state, that is, being a human person with our fallen, demonically-influenced nature. We are freed from this first and original state by being baptized and then living our Baptisms “through the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” (2 Pt 2:20, RSV-CE). Because our Baptisms are irreversible, we can never revert to our first state.
However, we can refuse to live our Baptisms. Thereby we enter a third and worst state of being a fallen-away, lukewarm Christian. When we choose to enter this third state, we make void the cross of Jesus for ourselves (see 1 Cor 1:17), nauseate Jesus (Rv 3:16), cause our Baptisms to backfire, and open the door of our lives to old and new demons. Therefore, we must grow and persevere in our love for the Lord. That is the second and best state, and it should be the last state.
Prayer: Father, may I never love You less.
Promise: “All who believe are blessed along with Abraham, the man of faith.” —Gal 3:9
Praise: Pope St. John XXIII called for a renewal of both the clergy and the laity by convoking the Second Vatican Council in 1962. Holy Spirit, come and renew Your Church (see Ps 104:30).
Reflection 3
By Fr. Martin Hogan
In the gospel reading, some people accuse Jesus of being an instrument of Satan. They see the good he does but they attribute it to an evil source. They demonized Jesus. It is a human temptation to demonize other people or even whole groups of people. The Nazis demonized the Jews, and the consequences were horrendous. In reply to the accusation made against him Jesus says in the gospel reading that he does what he does not through the power of Satan but through the finger of God. The healing finger of Jesus was the finger of God but many people failed to recognize that wonderful reality. They were blind to God’s presence in Jesus. We can all suffer from the same blindness to some degree. We fail to see the ways in which God is at work among us. The gospel reading invites us to be alert to the finger of God, which can take very simple and ordinary forms. When people are present to others in ways that are life-giving and healing, there the finger of God is at work. In the words of Jesus in the gospel reading, there the kingdom of God has overtaken us. It is good to be on the look-out for the finger of God at work among us. If we are on the look-out, we are more likely to notice the Lord’s presence, and to give thanks and praise to God for all that God is doing among us.
Prayers
My glorious King, You desire to build up Your Kingdom in my life and, through me, in the lives of others. Give me the grace and courage I need to fully accept all that You have taught me and to actively become an instrument of Your grace and truth in the world. May I be with You in all things, dear Lord, and gather many into Your loving arms of grace. Jesus, I trust in You.
Lord Jesus, be the ruler of my heart and the master of my home. May there be nothing in my life that is not under your lordship.
Daily Reflections on Divine Mercy
Reflection 284: Living in the Moment
One common temptation that many face is that of living either in the past or in the future, and failing to live in the present moment. You live in the past when you remain controlled by past events, sins, hurts, etc. The past must be healed and your sins of the past must be forgiven. Once that is done, you must let go of the past and not allow it to affect you in a negative way. The past can affect you for good when 1) you learn from the mistakes you have made, 2) you are strengthened by the healing of past hurts, 3) you continue to rejoice in all that God has done for you. You are affected negatively by the past when you dwell on your past sins and hurts, failing to seek forgiveness and healing. You live in the future when your mind is constantly obsessed with that which is out of your control. It’s easy to fear the future or to be anxious about it, but you must remember that the future is not yet here and you ought not allow fears or worries about it to cause undue stress. All we have is the present moment. Therefore, it must be your constant goal to live each moment, day by day, hour by hour and minute by minute. Be present to the present moment. Embrace it, live it and encounter the love and Mercy of God as He is present to you here and now (See Diary #1400).
Do you struggle letting go of the past or trying to control the future? Seek to embrace this present moment and all will be well. Reflect upon this tendency and especially look at what God wants of you today. Keep your focus upon this present moment and seek to meet our Lord in it. His Mercy awaits you here and now.
Lord, I offer to You all the events of my past and entrust to Your care all that will happen in the future. Free me from past hurts and sins, and alleviate my worries about the future. Help me to meet You and Your abundant Mercy in this present moment alone. Jesus, I trust in You.
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