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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In 1954, William Golding published a novel about a group of boys stuck on a remote Pacific Island. Their makeshift community quickly deteriorated into chaos as the boys’ worst instincts overtook any sense of common good.

They fought amongst themselves for power, food, and survival.

That inner demon stifling the boys’ unity was known as the, “lord of the flies,” which also provided the book’s title.

Golding used this idea – the “lord of the flies” – to describe that malicious instinct seemingly written into our human nature, dating back to the Book of Genesis. 

Consider what happened to the first set of brothers on earth, Cain and Abel. 

When God found Abel’s sacrifice to be more pleasing than Cain’s, the “lord of the flies” took over and Cain killed his brother, Abel, in a jealous rage.

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That same destructive instinct is at work in the Gospels.

Jesus is doing something incredible – he’s driving a demon out of a tortured man! But instead of celebrating the good that Jesus is doing, some within the crowds accuse him of cozying up to the devil himself! 

Were they jealous of him?

“By the power of Beelzebul, the prince of demons, he drives out demons,” they say.

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That “lord of the flies” instinct, which breaks our communion with others, still arises within us today. Common examples include gossip; tarnishing a person’s reputation; speeding or cutting other drivers off the road; being rude or ungrateful.

Just turn on the news: we see Americans fighting against one another every single day.

It’s a humbling point, but the Gospel invites us to consider ways in which we break communion with our brothers and sisters, then try to counteract that impulse with charity.

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What is something kind that I can say or something generous that I can do for someone else today?

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This is what makes us pleasing in the Lord’s eyes – striving to live as one human family.

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Image credits: (1) In God’s Image (2) Jesus Casts Out a Demon, icon (3) Geneva College

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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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By the end of 40 days of fasting, no chocolate, no social media, and meatless Fridays, we’ll all have had our share of penance.

But if these Lenten penances are driven solely by a sense of obligation – because we should do them – then what good are they, really?

What matters to God is whether or not we’ve been inwardly changed this Lent. Have we grown in charity, patience, or kindness? Have we grown in love?

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The same is true with the Law of the Old Testament. 

God gave the Jews 10 commandments to follow. But by the time Jesus walked this earth, rabbis created over 600 more!

Thus a “faithful” Jew would’ve had his or her share of penance trying to keep all of these rigid and particular rules.

But if keeping the Law was only done out of a sense of obligation – if it didn’t lead to an inner transformation and an increase in love – then what good was it? 

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This is Jesus’ point in today’s Gospel.

“I have come not to abolish, but to fulfill the Law,” he says. But the Law and all of the prophets can be summarized in a single word: LOVE.

God came to show us how to love.

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That’s the standard by which we should judge our fruitfulness this Lent – how much we’ve grown in love for God and for one another.

So, how do you measure up?

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Image credits: (1) boruachelohim, Jewish Law (2) Jesus, Pantocrator, Wikipedia (3) Living Scripture, WordPress

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Gospel: Matthew 18: 21-35

Peter approached Jesus and asked him,
“Lord, if my brother sins against me,
how often must I forgive him?
As many as seven times?”
Jesus answered, “I say to you, not seven times but seventy-seven times.
That is why the Kingdom of heaven may be likened to a king
who decided to settle accounts with his servants.
When he began the accounting,
a debtor was brought before him who owed him a huge amount.
Since he had no way of paying it back,
his master ordered him to be sold,
along with his wife, his children, and all his property,
in payment of the debt.
At that, the servant fell down, did him homage, and said,
‘Be patient with me, and I will pay you back in full.’
Moved with compassion the master of that servant
let him go and forgave him the loan.
When that servant had left, he found one of his fellow servants
who owed him a much smaller amount.
He seized him and started to choke him, demanding,
‘Pay back what you owe.’
Falling to his knees, his fellow servant begged him,
‘Be patient with me, and I will pay you back.’
But he refused.
Instead, he had him put in prison
until he paid back the debt.
Now when his fellow servants saw what had happened,
they were deeply disturbed, and went to their master
and reported the whole affair.
His master summoned him and said to him, ‘You wicked servant!
I forgave you your entire debt because you begged me to.
Should you not have had pity on your fellow servant,
as I had pity on you?’
Then in anger his master handed him over to the torturers
until he should pay back the whole debt.
So will my heavenly Father do to you,
unless each of you forgives your brother from your heart.”

The Gospel of the Lord.

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“The kingdom of God may be likened to a king who decided to settle accounts with his servants.”

One owed a huge amount, Jesus says, while the other a small amount.

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Biblical scholars have tried to calculate just how much debt these two servants owed their king. One was estimated to be 10,000-talents, while the other was a mere 100 denarii.

If that first debt were paid in coins, it’d require an army of 8,600 people each carrying a 60-pound sack on their back.

A hundred denarii, on the other hand, could fit inside someone’s pocket.

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So what’s the point?

One man has been forgiven an immense debt, so large it’s almost impossible to imagine.

Yet he turns around and acts petty with his neighbor, demanding his neighbor repay him a few pennies.

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Pettiness.

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So much of the anger that fills our hearts is often over petty stuff. 

We don’t get our way; someone cuts us off on the Parkway; interrupts us mid-sentence; or plays passive-aggressive.

If Jesus forgives all the sins we’ve committed, then the least we can do is forgive our neighbor for making a mild mistake.

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In his eyes, it’s the difference between 8,600 sacks of coins versus a few pennies.

Given the fact that we’re all living with an increased level of stress these days, Jesus reminds us to let the small stuff go.

It’ll reduce our stress – and the stress of everyone around us.

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Image credits: (1) Pinterest (2) Pastor Rick’s Daily Hope (3) Pinterest