Author: admin

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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 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.”

The Gospel of the Lord.

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The Gospels are filled with drama.

In a matter of pages, we encounter demons, lepers, prostitutes, murderers, and even Satan himself. 

At first glance, many of us are probably glad we didn’t live back then. Satan seemed to wreak havoc on people’s lives, leaving Jesus to clean up the mess.

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But is our world much different today?

The mark of evil is division. As Jesus says in the Gospels, “A house divided against itself will fall.” 

By extension – a family, a community, a nation, a world – divided against itself will fall because its members fight amongst themselves.

How are we responsible for that type of division, even in little ways?

If we gossip about other people; if we nurse a grudge or refuse to forgive; if we post negative or false things online, we sow division.

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Jesus urges us work for unity, instead. This is his final prayer on earth before his crucifixion and death: “That they may be one, Father, as we are one.”

How do I help satisfy Christ’s prayer for peace?

Be the first to apologize after an argument. Pray for those who hurt you. Write a note of encouragement – or call a friend who’s lonely.

As Saint Francis of Assisi prayed some 800 years ago: “Lord, make me an instrument of your peace: where there is hatred, let me sow love; where there is injury, pardon; where there is doubt, faith; where there is despair, hope; where there is darkness, light; and where there is sadness, joy.” 

Be like Christ. Be kind today. 

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Image credits: (1) Redbubble (2) True Health Initiative (3) Credo Magazine

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Gospel: Lk. 11: 5-13

Jesus said to his disciples:
“Suppose one of you has a friend
to whom he goes at midnight and says,
‘Friend, lend me three loaves of bread,
for a friend of mine has arrived at my house from a journey
and I have nothing to offer him,’
and he says in reply from within,
‘Do not bother me; the door has already been locked
and my children and I are already in bed.
I cannot get up to give you anything.’
I tell you, if he does not get up to give him the loaves
because of their friendship,
he will get up to give him whatever he needs
because of his persistence.

“And I tell you, ask and you will receive;
seek and you will find;
knock and the door will be opened to you.
For everyone who asks, receives;
and the one who seeks, finds;
and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.
What father  among you would hand his son a snake
when he asks for a fish?
Or hand him a scorpion when he asks for an egg?
If you then, who are wicked,
know how to give good gifts to your children,
how much more will the Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit
to those who ask him?”

The Gospel of the Lord.

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Saint Bruno, whose feast day we celebrate today, was the founder of the Carthusian order in the 11^th century.

The Carthusians follow the strictest rule of life in the Church.

They live in one of twenty-five monasteries peppered throughout the world, mostly tucked away in the mountains. Each monk is given a cell set apart from their other religious brothers or sisters, living out their life in near total silence.

The monks only gather as a community on three occasions: to pray Morning and Evening Prayer, and to share a meal on great liturgical feasts, such as Christmas and Easter.

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Why do the Carthusians insist upon living in such prolonged silence? And what might their spirituality teach us?

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That learning how to be a Christian often boils down to what happens inside our own mind and heart.

Alone in the silence, we begin mastering the art of prayer; we discern God’s voice; we contemplate life’s great mysteries; we learn how to control our thoughts and emotions; and how to resist temptation.

As Jesus says, “from the fullness of the heart the mouth speaks.”

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In honor of St. Bruno, perhaps we can spend a few moments in silence today, trusting that whenever we pause and pray, God is at work.

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Image credits: (1) BadRedHead Media, WordPress (2) L’Ordre des Chartreux (3) Mikes Passing Blog, WordPress

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Gospel: Luke 11: 1-4

Jesus was praying in a certain place, and when he had finished,
one of his disciples said to him,
“Lord, teach us to pray just as John taught his disciples.”
He said to them, “When you pray, say:

Father, hallowed be your name,
your Kingdom come.
Give us each day our daily bread
and forgive us our sins
for we ourselves forgive everyone in debt to us,
and do not subject us to the final test.”

The Gospel of the Lord.

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Prayer is essential to the life of a disciple. But sometimes we don’t know how to pray… or what to say. Let me share what I prayed this morning: 

“I thank you, Father, that I’ve not been greedy; I’ve not been selfish; I’ve not been rude to my neighbor; I’ve not spoken ill of anyone; I’ve not coveted what isn’t mine.”

“But now I must get out bed!”

(I’m only kidding).

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I’m sure we all start the day with good intentions, but they become harder to keep once we put our feet on the floor, which is why Jesus gives us the Lord’s Prayer, which is the only prayer he ever taught us.

It’s filled with rigor and virtue, but it can lose some of its strength because we pray it so often; it can become rote.

In this brief prayer, we are literally asking God for the strength to resist all temptation throughout the day. That means resisting the desire to judge, to gossip, to entertain lustful or greedy thoughts, to steal the last word in an argument, and so on.

Hence, we’re expressing our desire to be pure.

We are also declaring our willingness to forgive everyone who offends us today – that may include the person who cuts us off in the parking lot, who speaks poorly about us at work or online, who takes us for granted, and so on.

If every Christian who prayed the Lord’s Prayer today meant what they said, even with these two petitions – to avoid all temptation and to readily forgive – imagine how different our society would be.

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“I thank you, Father, that I’ve not sinned in any way today… But now I must get out of bed.”

As we pray the Lord’s prayer, may we mean what we say … and do it.

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Image credits: (1) The Lord’s Prayer, Fine Art America (2) The Valley Catholic (3) Information Palace