Third Sunday of Lent, March 11, 2012
(Luke 11: 14-28)
Today we can thank God for bringing us almost halfway through Lent. Those of us who have observed the Lenten fasts are happy for what we have done. Those of us who haven’t done anything to prepare for Easter are not so happy, but we are not without hope because many days remain to fast in reparation for our sins.
Lent is the time to prepare ourselves for Eternity. We needn’t fear the death of the body. Worry instead about the death of the soul, which lasts for Eternity. Do not look out upon the world with the eyes of your body. Rather, look at the world with the eyes of your soul. Look for those things that can help you gain the happiness of eternity in our Lord’s Kingdom?
In a recent Gospel reading, Luke 16: 19-31, our Lord tells the story of Lazarus, the poor man who begged at the gate of the rich man’s house, but the rich man had no charity and never gave Lazarus even a crumb. In time they both died and Lazarus was carried up to heaven into the bosom of our father Abraham. The rich man went to hell. Looking up in his torment, the rich man saw Lazarus in the bosom of Abraham and called to him, asking him to send Lazarus to dip his finger in water and touch it to his tongue to relieve the burning. Abraham responded that between them is a “great chaos” so that no one can pass from us to you or from you to us. The Son of God is telling us in the story of Lazarus that heaven and hell are permanent states, and once we go to heaven or hell, it is forever. Those who are wise prepare in this life for eternity in heaven rather than eternity in hell.
In today’s Gospel, Jesus casts a devil out of a man who could not speak. When the devil was cast out, the man spoke and the crowd marveled at the miracle. However, some in the crowd accused our Lord of casting out devils by the power of Beelzebub -- The Lord of the House, which is a name the Jews used for Satan. But they had seen Jesus raise people from the dead, give sight to the blind and cure every kind of disability and disease, yet they said He cast out devils by the power of Satan. Saint Bruno wisely asks, since when did Satan ever do such a thing?
Those who scoffed at Him were Scribes and Pharisees according to St. Matthew’s report of this event. Seeing their thoughts Jesus said, “Every kingdom divided against itself shall be brought to desolation . . . And if Satan also be divided against himself, how shall his kingdom stand?” In other words if devils are casting out devils it means there is a civil war in hell, and if hell is at war, the devils have no power over us.
Jesus then asked the scoffers, “If I cast out devils by Beelzebub; by whom do your children cast them out?” These “children” are the Lord’s Apostles, who were given the power to cast out devils by our Lord. The Apostles were also Jews, they believed in the Resurrection, which the Pharisees taught, and they looked upon the Pharisees as fathers and teachers, so in this religious sense the Apostles were their children.
The Lord continued: “But if I by the Finger of God cast out devils; doubtless the kingdom of God is come upon you.” The Finger of God is the Holy Ghost, also called the Spirit of God, and where the Spirit of God is, there also is the kingdom of God. So the kingdom of God is with Jesus.
Jesus continuing said: “But when a strong man armed keepeth his court, those things are in peace which he possesseth. But if a stronger than he come upon him and overcome him; he will take away all . . . and distribute his spoils.” Here our Lord is saying that the devil is strong, but Christ is stronger. He has come into this world, which the devil has bound and held as his own house – hence the name Beelzebub, the Lord of the House – but Christ has now bound Satan and broken his armor and those he held captive Christ has delivered from bondage. Therefore, the devil is not with Christ, nor does he cast out devils with Him. The devil does not heal men as Christ does, nor does he gather people into Christ’s Church. What does the devil do? He scatters, he harries, he kills, he drags down to death and eternal damnation all that he can.
Our Lord continues with a description of those who are possessed by devils, and in this He is talking about the Jews as a whole and what happened to them when they abandoned the true Faith. Through the faith of Father Abraham, and through the Law as given to Moses and through the priests beginning with Aaron, the brother of Moses, the devil had gone out of the Jewish people. But they corrupted the Law and the priesthood, and so the devil coming back finds his old home empty, and going back into many Jews he brings with him seven spirits more wicked than himself. The seven devils he brought were to oppose the seven gifts of the Holy Ghost: 1st, Wisdom, opposed by stupidity; 2nd, Understanding opposed by revolt and unreason; 3rd, the Gift of Counsel, opposed by rashness; 4th, Fortitude, opposed by fickleness, undependability and fear; 5th, Knowledge, opposed by ignorance; 6th, the Gift of Piety, opposed by impiety, and 7th, the Fear of the Lord, opposed by contempt and hate. The original devil tempts the man – but these seven kill the soul. It is no wonder that the last state of the man is worse than the first.
Let us finish with a prayer:
May God hold back our tongue today so that we do not engage in gossip or any talk against others especially our enemies. May He close our eyes so that we do not see pornography. May our souls be pure and the sin of impurity find no place in us. May moderation in food and drink wear down our body’s pride. So that when day is done and night returns we will find ourselves free from sin, and we may sing our praises to God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Ghost. Amen. +++
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