My third son, Julio, was in the hospital because of pneumonia. The past few days were challenging as he had been rejecting every medicine, treatment, and procedure. The past weeks, we’d been in and out of the ER as our other sons, Josef and Javi, also had pneumonia one after the other. 

But through it all, my wife and I had been surprisingly (or miraculously) soldiering on with grace. Knowing us, we would have been fighting already—because of sleeplessness and frustration. It’s a challenge to manage just one sick child. But there we were managing all four. How? Just by starting our day asking the Lord to take full control of what’s ahead. In our helplessness, we conquered this disease knowing that God was with us. 

The passage today highlights the different responses to the ministry of Jesus. Some rejected it, some chose to follow, some were skeptical, and some chose to believe. 

We choose faith over fear—to trust and surrender. Yes, to let Him take control takes a lot of courage. But no matter what our situation is, we want to acknowledge God’s authority and respond with His grace. 

Jan Silan (jcsilan@gmail.com)

reflect

Are you tired? Pray to Jesus and respond with grace.

My Jesus, I lift up to You my concerns. Take control. Help me respond with love and grace. Amen. 

Saint Rupert, pray for us.

As Christians, there is no excuse for our hard-hearted stubbornness and refusal to listen to God’s Word. His Word brings us life and anything else is less than what God desires for us. Isn’t it crazy that we continue to settle for less by our refusal to entrust all to Him? Why do we think we know better than God does? It sounds silly, but this is what sin does to us.

²³ Thus says the Lord: This is what I commanded my people: Listen to my voice; then I will be your God and you shall be my people. Walk in all the ways that I command you, so that you may prosper. ²⁴ But they obeyed not, nor did they pay heed. They walked in the hardness of their evil hearts and turned their backs, not their faces, to me. ²⁵ From the day that your fathers left the land of Egypt even to this day, I have sent you untiringly all my servants the prophets. ²⁶ Yet they have not obeyed me nor paid heed; they have stiffened their necks and done worse than their fathers. ²⁷ When you speak all these words to them, they will not listen to you either; when you call to them, they will not answer you. ²⁸ Say to them: This is the nation which does not listen to the voice of the Lord, its God, or take correction. Faithfulness has disappeared; the word itself is banished from their speech. 

Responsorial Psalm | Psalm 95:1-2, 6-7, 8-9

R: If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts.

¹ Come, let us sing joyfully to the Lord; let us acclaim the Rock of our salvation. ² Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving; let us joyfully sing psalm to him. (R) ⁶ Come, let us bow down in worship; let us kneel before the Lord who made us. ⁷ For he is our God, and we are the people he shepherds, the flock he guides. (R) ⁸ Oh, that today you would hear his voice, “Harden not your hearts as at Meribah, as in the day of Massah in the desert, ⁹ where your fathers tempted me; they tested me though they had seen my works.” (R)

Gospel | Luke 11:14-23

Jesus has complete power over the devil. He has given us the same power in Baptism, such that we are no longer under the devil’s influence. The power of Satan has been broken and the reign of sin was ended, thanks to the victory of Jesus on the cross. Let us use this power by ignoring temptation and choosing the path of holiness. When the devil tempts us, let us redouble our efforts to be holy so he will stop his evil plans.

Gospel Acclamation

Even now, says the Lord, return to me with your whole heart, for I am gracious and merciful.

¹⁴ 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. 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.”

Reflect:

“When tempted, invoke your Angel. He is more eager to help you than you are to be helped! Ignore the devil and do not be afraid of him; he trembles and flees at the sight of your Guardian Angel.” (St. John Bosco)

Read the Bible in one year! Read EXODUS 1 - 3 today.

In a world so broken by sin, wars, conflicts, and tension, is it still possible to have peace and unity in families, among communities of faith, and in the world at large?

Many would even envy the dead because they are “resting in peace.” Yet even the dead needs purification before they achieve beatific vision, where there is absolute harmony and tranquility.

We need not go far as we also experience internal division. At times, our mind and heart, our good intentions and conduct, our most cherished hopes and reality contradict. Saint Paul feels this rift when he says, “What I do, I do not understand. For I do not do what I want, but I do what I hate” (Romans 7:15).

Can we truly achieve wholeness and well-being, which is not simply the absence of war, or the undisturbed condition of the dead, or the liberty of doing what one wants? 

The scribes and the Pharisees have closed their hearts and done everything to disrepute Jesus. Instead of seeing the miracle performed by Jesus as a potent sign of the fulfillment of the Kingdom of God, they accuse Him of being in a league with Beelzebul, the prince of demons. Jesus refutes their accusation by pointing out that Satan cannot be fighting against himself.

On one hand, conflicts and factions are inevitable because of fundamental differences not just in motivations and perspectives but also in principles and convictions that cannot be compromised. 

On the other hand, there are divisions that are clearly caused by evil forces. Satan is a master of deception who, in the end, will cause discord among and within peoples. 

Consequently, if we are to pursue the greater or ultimate good, especially of the poor and the disadvantaged, we have to focus on what unites us rather than what divides us. 

Fr. Paolo Asprer, SSP

reflection question

What are the “Beelzebuls” that divide your family or community?

Father, may I be an instrument of peace and unity today. Amen.

Today, I pray for: ______________________