(Optional Memorial for Saint John XXIII, Pope)
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| “An Angel and a Devil Fighting for the Soul of a Child” by Giacinto Gimignani, 1650s |
Reading 1: Joel 1:13-15; 2:1-2
Gird yourselves and weep, O priests!
wail, O ministers of the altar!
Come, spend the night in sackcloth,
O ministers of my God!
The house of your God is deprived
of offering and libation.
Proclaim a fast,
call an assembly;
Gather the elders,
all who dwell in the land,
Into the house of the LORD, your God,
and cry to the LORD!
Alas, the day!
for near is the day of the LORD,
and it comes as ruin from the Almighty.
Blow the trumpet in Zion
sound the alarm on my holy mountain!
Let all who dwell in the land tremble,
for the day of the LORD is coming;
Yes, it is near, a day of darkness and of gloom,
a day of clouds and somberness!
Like dawn spreading over the mountains,
a people numerous and mighty!
Their like has not been from of old,
nor will it be after them,
even to the years of distant generations.
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Commentary on Jl 1:13-15; 2:1-2
The oracle of the Prophet Joel is set in a time (around 400 B.C.) when Israel experienced a huge plague of locusts. The prophet saw this as a foreshadowing of the coming of the apocalypse or “day of the Lord.” In this passage, the priests and people are called to repentance in the face of this destruction. They are called to proclaim a fast of atonement.
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Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 9:2-3, 6 and 16, 8-9
R. (9) The Lord will judge the world with justice.
I will give thanks to you, O LORD, with all my heart;
I will declare all your wondrous deeds.
I will be glad and exult in you;
I will sing praise to your name, Most High.
R. The Lord will judge the world with justice.
You rebuked the nations and destroyed the wicked;
their name you blotted out forever and ever.
The nations are sunk in the pit they have made;
in the snare they set, their foot is caught.
R. The Lord will judge the world with justice.
But the LORD sits enthroned forever;
he has set up his throne for judgment.
He judges the world with justice;
he governs the peoples with equity.
R. The Lord will judge the world with justice.
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Commentary on Ps 9:2-3, 6 and 16, 8-9
This selection of the strophes from Psalm 9 initially gives us a poem of thanksgiving. This is followed by a recollection of God’s support of the children of Israel as they came into the land promised by the Lord. These verses conclude with submission to the will and judgment of God.
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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
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.”
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Commentary on Lk 11:15-26
In this selection from St. Luke’s Gospel, the Lord is challenged by the Pharisees who do not deny the reality of the miracle, but want one of national importance (as befitting the Royal Messiah), as opposed to the one he performs – salvation for the poor and needy. His critics say that he has power over evil spirits because he is in league with Satan, their master. Jesus refutes this idea (he actually makes an allusion to Exodus 8:15 where, by the “finger of God,” Moses brought about God’s will, and the Egyptian magicians were unable to duplicate his actions) asking: “if Satan is divided against himself, how will his kingdom stand?” He then tells his audience that God is stronger than Satan, which is why he is able to cast out the evil spirits.
The passage concludes with a subtle but important message that says in essence: if an evil that tortures the spirit is removed, and strength from God is not substituted to fill it up, that evil will return, worse than before (see also 2 Peter 2:20).
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Reflection:
The challenge of Jesus in the Gospel is handled relatively easily with the Lord simply applying logic to the situation. When these members of the crowd start the rumor that the reason Jesus has power over evil spirits is because he is somehow in league with Beelzebul or Satan, the Lord virtually scoffs as he says: “if Satan is divided against himself, how will his kingdom stand?” Even the idea of their mistrust is difficult for us who know the Lord’s true identity.
If we find it so easy to believe in Jesus, why is it that belief in the existence of a real and present Satan is difficult for many of us? Why is it that when we face a difficult situation we assume that the only barriers we face to the accomplishment of positive results will be our faith in the Lord and our own good sense? We frequently fall into the trap of assuming that just because we think, on the surface, an objective is a good one or our action is what God would want, does not mean the Evil One is not standing right beside us encouraging us (or discouraging us) as well.
Here is an example. Let’s say a Sister of Charity happens to encounter a homeless man. The man appears to be hungry and destitute. Sister’s heart goes out to him as would the heart of her patron, St. Vincent DePaul. Now her order insists that no Sister may put herself in harm’s way even for a charitable cause but this sister feels the man genuinely needs her help and decides to drive him to a nearby shelter so he can be fed and taken care of. Once in the car, the man pulls a weapon and forces the sister to drive up an alley and the rest can be imagined.
The impulse of Christ was what drove sister to put aside caution but unfortunately, as heroic as her action may have seemed, it allowed Satan, who had long held sway over the man, to put another nail into the Crucified Christ, the sister’s husband. As difficult as it is, we must always remember that the innocence of the Garden of Eden was ruined by the embodiment of Satan in the snake. Always he is present and we must be cautious.
While it is true for all of us who attempt to do God’s work. It is most especially important for the Church’s vowed, consecrated and ordained servants who are special targets of the champion of Evil. Even as we strive to achieve the faith of a little child we must always be on our guard that we do not inadvertently assist Beelzebul in his plan of domination and destruction.
Pax
[1] The readings for this memorial are suggested by the USCCB. No proper readings have been approved for the memorial and other texts may be taken from the Common of Pastors: For a Pope (#719-724).
[2] The picture is “An Angel and a Devil Fighting for the Soul of a Child” by Giacinto Gimignani, 1650s.
[4] The readings are taken from the New American Bible, with the exception of the psalm and its response which were developed by the International Committee for English in Liturgy (ICEL). This republication is not authorized by USCCB and is for private use only.
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