Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint 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.”
Division
1. Drive out. Sometimes, instead of focusing on miracles, people focus their attention on minor details. They might nitpick about whether a good deed was done according to a certain set of rules. Even within the Church, instead of celebrating the positive impact of a priest or nun, some people will say, “Be careful, they’re too progressive or too conservative.” It’s as if, instead of being happy about the good work being done, they look for small things to get upset about. Don’t let your life get bogged down by that, and don’t become the kind of person who always brings others down.
2. Division. There will always be divisions, both internal and external. The internal one is the conflict between what you know is right and what you feel. It’s the inner struggle of guilt and feelings versus what you’re supposed to do. Externally, there’s the conflict within your family. This can be caused by new ideas or new people joining the family. Division can also happen in your life between what you planned for yourself and what life actually presents you with.
3. An unclean spirit. This refers to anything that creates mess and disorder in your life. Don’t spend time with people who bring chaos into your life and create uncleanliness inside you, making you feel bad about yourself. Don’t let people or things take away your sense of peace and happiness. Anyone who steals your peace and order doesn’t come from God.
Remember that something good is on the way!
God bless you and protect you in the name of the Father, of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
