In our Gospel today, the religious leaders accuse Jesus of being possessed by the prince of demons and performing His miracles through the power of Beelzebul.
The Greek word for devil means “the one who divides or scatters.” In other words, the work of the devil is to divide or cause disunity, to bring discord or strife into the world. He wants one person to rage against the other. He pulls things apart and tears things down. It makes sense: when we say something bad about another, we harbor division. War, violence, anger, jealousy, inability to forgive, etc. all bring division. All of this is the basic work of the devil. But Jesus did exactly the opposite in His ministry. He reached out to people who were excluded from the community and invited them in. Think of the woman at the well, Mary Magdelene, the tax collectors Matthew and Zacchaeus, the lepers, the children, and the list goes on. He did not concentrate on people’s faults and failures, but loved them and invited them to grow. My friends, by calling ourselves Christians, we are committing ourselves to live as Jesus did. We need to bring unity and peace to the world around us in two major ways: first, by not being a cause of disunity. It is avoiding the sins listed above: violence, anger, jealousy, inability to forgive, etc. This is what we must NOT DO. That is basic: it is following the commandments. Then we need to move to the next step and be an agent of unity and peace. That means overlooking the faults of others, reaching out to invite those who are alone and isolated into the community, being the one who helps others to get along, etc. This is what we must DO. It is going out of ourselves to bring unity, love, and peace. Jesus came to call everyone to be one in and with His Father. Our commitment is to continue that mission. I invite us this week to spend some time reflecting on these words from the prayer of St. Francis of Assisi: Make me an instrument of your peace. Where there is hatred, let me bring your love. Where there is injury, your pardon, Lord…where there is despair, hope…where there is darkness, light…where there is sadness, joy. The more we can do those things, the more we are truly living up to the name “Christian.” God bless. Church sign of the week: The measure of God’s love is love without measure.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
Archives
February 2025
|