Fr Kevin Kilgore

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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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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 the 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, causing Cain to kill 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! Instead of celebrating the relief the Lord brings, some within the crowds accuse him of cozying up to the devil.

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

What’s wrong with them? Are they skeptics, void of any faith in God? Or, perhaps, jealous of Jesus? 

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That same divisive “lord of the flies” instinct still pokes its ugly head out today. 

Although we’re people of good will, how often do we find ourselves succumbing to gossip, tarnishing a person’s reputation, aggressive driving, being rude, or ungrateful, behaviors which rupture our unity?

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

“A house divided amongst itself will fall,” Jesus warns.

May that never be spoken of us – at home, in the Church, or anywhere Christians assemble.

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Image credits: (1) https://www.bharatagritech.com/?q=what-does-it-mean-a-house-divided-cannot-stand-xx-zrxNa8fg (2) Lord of the Flies clapperboard, Cultbox (3) Pastorandrews.org

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Gospel: Luke 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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Examine your prayer life. 

What is your conversation with God like? When you pray, do you find yourself constantly asking for things? Or is your prayer life more about spending time with God?

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In today’s Gospel, Jesus says, “Ask and you will receive; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.”

Act like the persistent neighbor who kept banging on his friend’s door until he got what he wanted.

Sometimes we interpret these words to mean, “If I pray hard enough, long enough, even loud enough, then God will give me exactly what I want.” 

But Jesus isn’t telling us that we can manipulate the mind of God, or twist his arm into doing whatever we’d like. Rather, “ask, seek knock… and the door will be opened to you.” 

Behind that door is not a thing, but a Person, the Holy Spirit. This is the sole guarantee of prayer.

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Saint Paul says the fruit of the Holy Spirit – thus the fruit of prayer – includes, “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.”

Maybe you’ve been praying for a conflict at work to end. Even if it hasn’t, through prayer God will soften your heart, release you from the throes of judgment, and fill you with the peace and patience you need to navigate it and persevere.

Maybe a particular temptation keeps tugging at your flesh. Even if God does not uproot it, the Holy Spirit will give you the grace you need to resist and remain faithful.

Perhaps your heart has become fearful or restless, prayer may not change the cause of your stress, but can replace the fear with peace.

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Set aside a few quiet moments today. 

Ask, seek, and knock on heaven’s door until the Holy Spirit answers. Then invite the Spirit to dwell within you.

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Image credits: (1) Calvary Chapel of the Holy Spirit, South Jersey (2) RayChoi.org (3) Godsongs.net

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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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Why is the Lord’s Prayer so meaningful?

It comes directly from Christ’s own prayer life. As the disciples say to him in today’s Gospel, “Lord, teach us how to pray as you pray.” 

So, the Lord begins by telling us to call God our “Father.” But he uses the term, Abba, meaning, Papa or Daddy. We are meant to address God from a place of familial intimacy.

“Papa, hallowed be thy name.” 

To “hallow,” means, “to be holy or set apart.” Thus, we are praying for the grace to keep God as holy, or first, in our lives. 

We all know how challenging that can be. Often, there are a variety of other people and things vying for our attention – our marriage, our career, our children, our own plans and desires, material things, and so on. 

We must strive to keep God first. All day. Every day.

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Towards the conclusion of the Lord’s Prayer, we ask God to, “forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us.” This points to the very heart of God’s identity – his ability to forgive sins. 

Throughout the Gospels, Jesus tells people like the woman caught in adultery, “Your sins are forgiven. Go, and sin no more.”

Jesus could not forgive her sins unless they were somehow committed against him, just I cannot forgive your sins, unless they are committed against me.

Jesus is the one who is affected by every sin committed, and thus he is the only one who can forgive them all. He asks only one thing from us in return: to forgive one another.

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These are two things we can strive for today: to keep God – our Papa – first in our lives, and to forgive those who trespass against us.

What does that look like for me?

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Image credits: (1) Sermon Series, ministrypass.com (2) ministry-to-children.com (3) pinterest.com