Category: Uncategorized

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Gospel: Luke 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.”

The Gospel of the Lord.

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Sometimes when we get caught in a heated argument and it seems like neither side is winning – or worse, we are losing – we raise our voices in frustration and shout untrue insults about the other person in an effort to hurt them. 

Such is the case in today’s Gospel.

Jesus’ enemies catch him driving out a demon from a possessed man. For whatever reason, they are either jealous of the Lord or threatened by his power. 

Knowing they cannot win that argument – who but God alone can drive out demons? – they start slandering him. “By the power of Beelzebul, the prince of demons, he drives out demons,” they say.

A ridiculous claim.

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Still, the Lord takes them head on, saying he cannot be in cahoots with Beelzebul, because he has come – not to serve Satan – but to drive him out.

“When a strong man fully armed guards his palace, his possessions are safe,” Jesus says. “But when one stronger than he attacks and overcomes him, he takes away the armor on which he relied and distributes the spoils.”

Satan is the “strong man,” who is overpowered by Christ. His “spoils” are every soul caught in sin.

But by his death and resurrection, Christ can free every soul from Satan’s grasp.

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During this Lenten season, we’re invited to ponder, “What aspect of my life remains caught in sin? Where do I need the Lord’s healing power?”

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Some may be under the throes of addiction. Others might have pride, greed, anger, or jealousy deeply rooted in their heart. Others, at times, may be allergic to the truth or afraid to surrender fully to God’s will.

 “I have come that they may have life, life in abundance,” Jesus says. 

May all who call on the name of the Lord experience the freedom and peace, which Christ has brought us.

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Image credits: (1) FreePik (2) Sound Cloud (3) Cedarview Community Church

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Gospel: Matthew 5: 17-19

Jesus said to his disciples:
“Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets.
I have come not to abolish but to fulfill.
Amen, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away,
not the smallest letter or the smallest part of a letter
will pass from the law,
until all things have taken place.
Therefore, whoever breaks one of the least of these commandments
and teaches others to do so
will be called least in the Kingdom of heaven.
But whoever obeys and teaches these commandments
will be called greatest in the Kingdom of heaven.”

The Gospel of the Lord.

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Jesus divides Jews from Christians the same way he divides the bible in two. There’s the Old Testament and the New Testament with Christ as the hinge. Jews are still awaiting the Messiah, while Christians say Christ is the Messiah, God in the flesh.

At the very center of the debate are his teachings.

As Jesus says in today’s Gospel, “Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets. I have not come to abolish, but to fulfill.”

So, what Old Testament promises does Christ fulfill and how?

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He fulfills the Law. In Mark’s Gospel, a scribe approaches Jesus and asks, “Which is the greatest of all the Commandments?” 

To which Christ responds, “You shall love the Lord your God with all of your heart, mind, body, and soul.” The scribe affirms his response. Then the Lord adds, “And your neighbor as yourself.”

Jesus puts these two commandments into full practice as he dies obediently on a cross, asking his Father to forgive his neighbors, “for they know not what they do.”

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Secondly, Jesus fulfills nearly three hundred prophecies from the Old Testament, including prophecies about where the Messiah will be born; the miracles he will perform; how he will suffer; even the mode in which he will die.

As the prophet Isaiah foretells, “He comes to save you. The eyes of the blind shall see, and the ears of the deaf be opened. The lame shall leap like a stag, and the mute sing for joy.”

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Finally, the Lord fulfills God’s great promise that his people shall inherit the “land.” Pope Benedict said in so many words, “Wherever the will of God is done, God’s kingdom – thus his land – is present.”

As the Lord himself teaches us to pray, “Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.”

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Whereas some may see a separation between the Old and New Testaments, Christians see Christ as the foundation – not only to make sense of either, but also the hinge on which both depend.

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Image credits: (1) Gutenberg Bible, Wikipedia (2) The BLB blog, Blue Letter Bible (3) Christ, Pantocrator, Sinai

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Gospel: Luke 1:26-38

The angel Gabriel was sent from God
to a town of Galilee called Nazareth,
to a virgin betrothed to a man named Joseph,
of the house of David,
and the virgin’s name was Mary.
And coming to her, he said,
“Hail, full of grace! The Lord is with you.”
But she was greatly troubled at what was said
and pondered what sort of greeting this might be.
Then the angel said to her,
“Do not be afraid, Mary,
for you have found favor with God.
Behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son,
and you shall name him Jesus.
He will be great and will be called Son of the Most High,
and the Lord God will give him the throne of David his father,
and he will rule over the house of Jacob forever,
and of his Kingdom there will be no end.”
But Mary said to the angel,
“How can this be,
since I have no relations with a man?”
And the angel said to her in reply,
“The Holy Spirit will come upon you,
and the power of the Most High will overshadow you.
Therefore the child to be born
will be called holy, the Son of God.
And behold, Elizabeth, your relative,
has also conceived a son in her old age,
and this is the sixth month for her who was called barren;
for nothing will be impossible for God.”
Mary said, “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord.
May it be done to me according to your word.”
Then the angel departed from her.

The Gospel of the Lord.

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What would have happened if Mary said “no?” 

Would the Lord have taken on flesh, died on a cross, or have been raised? Would we ever celebrate Easter? How might the world – and God’s own plans – have changed if Mary said, “no”? 

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Put yourself in her shoes.

She’s a teenager preparing to get married. Out of the blue, an angel appears to her, dropping the biggest bomb imaginable. 

“Hail, favored one! Behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name him Jesus… and of his kingdom, there will be no end!”

While that sounds nice – and quite impossible – consider some of Mary’s genuine concerns: What if she dies in childbirth? What if Joseph won’t accept her? What if her family excommunicates her? What if this isn’t real?

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There’s no way Mary could’ve reasoned her way to, “Yes.” 

This was a trial of the heart. 

Only a Jew who knew the Law – and lived it from the fullness of their heart – could ever get close to her words, “Let it be done unto me according to your word.”

As Christ later proclaims, “The first of all the Commandments is this: You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.”

If Mary loved either Joseph, her family, or even her own life, more than God, then she never could’ve said, “yes” to the angel Gabriel.

But she surrenders it all. Thus, this moment more than any other reveals Mary’s purity of heart and her fulfillment of all religion.

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This Feast of the Annunciation also begs the question, “What if we say, ‘no’?”

What good is it for Mary to do her part, to smuggle Christ into the world, if we do not do the same in our own time, way, and place?

Just as Christ drew on Mary’s flesh and bones to incarnate himself in our world, so the Lord makes himself present in every age, using our own heart, hands, and feet.

Ours are the lips through which he forgives; the hands by which he serves; the heart through which he loves. As Teresa of Avila once said, “Christ has no body now but yours.”

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How do you make Christ present for others?

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May Mary, Mother of God, pray for us that we would follow her way, loving the Lord our God more than anyone or anything, even ourselves.

In so doing, Christ will make himself present in our world in every generation, even in you and me.

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Image credits: (1) Fra Angelico, Annunciation (2) The Christ Child, Fra Angelico (3) Bible Hub