THE GAME

?Anyone who is not with me is against me. Anyone who does not help me gather is really scattering.? ? Luke 11:23

I was playing billards with my cousins and uncle the other day. Solids and Stripes. The objective was for a team to pocket either all the solid colored balls, or all the striped ones. In one shot my uncle accidentally pocketed a striped ball when he was aiming for a solid one. Laughing hard, my cousin who was on the opposing team commented: ?Uncle, you?re our strongest team mate.?
      Thing is, if you don?t pocket a ball on one shot, you?re also giving the opposing team another chance to get ahead of you. So in not making a shot, you?re actually helping the other team win.
      There are only two teams, and no middle ground. Either we preach and live the Gospel, or we give it a bad name. We can?t be spectators, either. Because to be indifferent is just as good as being on the ?other side.? Either we love His people or we don?t.
      Which side are you on? Choose today. George G.

REFLECTION:
Am I participating or am I just watching?

May all my words, thoughts and deeds be according to Your will.

G O S P E L

Luke 11:15-26

The world of evil spirits is a very real thing. We should never be deceived with things that do not exist. In fact, this is one of the first ploys that Satan uses. If he can convince us that he does not exist then it makes his job so much easier as we will not be on the look out for him. He will be able to do as he pleases in our lives as we will never recognize that it is him at work. Human beings may be fundamentally good but we are also open to the world of evil spirits. Thus we should take care to align ourselves with the Holy Spirit and reject any of the advances of Satan and his minions.

15 Some of them said, ?By the power of Beelzebul, the prince of demons, he drives out demons.? 16 Others, to test him, asked him for a sign from heaven. 17 But he knew their thoughts and said to them, ?Every kingdom divided against itself will be laid waste and house will fall against house. 18 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. 19 If I, then, drive out demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your own people drive them out? Therefore  they will be your judges. 20 But if it is by the finger of God that [I] drive out demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you. 21 When a strong man fully armed guards his palace, his possessions are safe. 22 But when one stronger than he attacks and overcomes him, he takes away the armor on which he relied and distributes the spoils. 23 Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters. 24 ?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.? 25 But upon returning, it finds it swept clean and put in order. 26 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 person is worse than the first.?

my reflections
think: The Law is good when it is used in the way that it should be ? as a guide and teacher concerning what is right and wrong.

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God?s special verse/thought for me today________________

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T O D A Y ? S BLESSING LIST

Thank You Lord for: ____________________________________

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READ THE BIBLE IN ONE YEAR Matthew 5-6

The superstitious among us will take note that today is ?Friday the 13th.? But so what? We Catholics do not subscribe to such irreligion and lack of confidence in the Almighty God.
      But come to think of it, there is a lot of controversy and harm in the Gospel passage for today ? if, of course, you read it with that particular point of view. Today?s teaching from Jesus, for instance, is occasioned by a highly divisive discussion on the issue of casting out devils. Our Lord, for his part, faces his accusers squarely and exposes the faulty logic of their insinuations. ?If Satan is divided against himself, how can his kingdom   last? ? since you say it is by Beelzebul that I cast our devils.?
      Jesus then takes the chance to declare the true source of his power to drive away evil: ?If it is by the finger of God that I cast out devils, then the reign of God is upon you.? In other words, there is really more to Jesus? exorcisms than just mere miracles, bizarre as they may seem. His miracles are veritable signs of the arrival of the Kingdom, harbingers of a new era of grace and liberation.
      In this Kingdom, the battle lines are drawn: ?The man who is not with me is against me, and the man who does not gather with me scatters.? There are no two ways about it, no ambiguous positions. Moreover, in God?s Kingdom, miracles are not necessarily automatic guarantees of an instant cure, as though they were magical feats or some quack doctor?s trick. According to Jesus, even a newly exorcised demon can still come back to its original host.
      We for our part should not demand for special signs from God. There are already  enough signs around us, if we but open our eyes and look. Even the reality of evil in our world (from which superstitious beliefs often ensue) points to the necessary presence of the goodness opposite to it.
      We for our part just have to be consistent in our choice and position for God. Fr. Martin M.

REFLECTION QUESTION:
Do I remind myself every day that true power comes only from the Lord?

May I not rely on myself but only on You, Lord.

St. Edward the Confessor, king, pray for us.