The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today challenge us to contemplate the path we are travelling in our life journey to reaffirm our decision to be with Jesus.
Choosing the path
The reading from the Prophet Joel is a call to repentance and prayer.
* [1:15] As in Am 5:18–20, the day of the Lord in Joel’s first speech brings punishment, not victory, for Judah. In his second speech, this event means victory for those faithful to the Lord and death for the nations who are the Lord’s enemies. Almighty: Hebrew shaddai. There is wordplay between shod (“destruction”) and shaddai.1
Psalm 9 praises God’s Power and Justice.
* [Psalms 9–10] Ps 9 and Ps 10 in the Hebrew text have been transmitted as separate poems but they actually form a single acrostic poem and are so transmitted in the Greek and Latin tradition. Each verse of the two Psalms begins with a successive letter of the Hebrew alphabet (though several letters have no corresponding stanza). The Psalm states loosely connected themes: the rescue of the helpless poor from their enemies, God’s worldwide judgment and rule over the nations, the psalmist’s own concern for rescue (Ps 9:14–15).2
In the Gospel of Luke, Jesus deals with the alliance with Beelzebul and the return of the Unclean Spirit.
* [11:19] Your own people: the Greek reads “your sons.” Other Jewish exorcists (see Acts 19:13–20), who recognize that the power of God is active in the exorcism, would themselves convict the accusers of Jesus. See also note on Mt 12:27.3
Tom Purcell comments that the common thread throughout these obsessions and demons is that God has provided us with a good thing that we somehow corrupt through our unnatural attachment. Career success is a good thing, but in perspective. So too with good health, alcohol, sex, pharmaceuticals, and so on. All are neutral, and are good if they lead us closer to God, and bad (thus the demonization) if they don’t. We can put them to good use and enjoy them within moderation. Or we can overuse them, and thus become possessed by, dependent on, or addicted to them. Even people can present themselves as disordered if they pull us away from God.
Part of the reflective process in the Spiritual Exercises is building the awareness to objectively look at our actions regarding these goods that God has given us, to discern if we are using them in the manner God intended (to bring us to a closer relationship with God, and to deepen our love for God and our neighbor). The more we are aware, the more we can ask for God’s help in resisting using these gifts inconsistently with God’s purpose for us in providing the gifts.4
Don Schwager quotes “Jesus has conquered Satan,” by Cyril of Alexandria (376-444 AD).
"[Jesus] has conquered the ruler of this world. Having, so to speak, hamstrung him and stripped him of the power he possessed, he has given him over for a prey to his followers. He says, 'The strong man, being armed, guards his house; all his goods are in peace. But when one who is stronger than he shall come on him and overcome him, he takes away all his armor wherein he trusted and divides his spoil.' This is a plain demonstration and type of the matter depicted after the manner of human affairs... Before the coming of the Savior, he was in great power, driving and shutting up in his own stall flocks that were not his own but belonging to God over all. He was like some voracious and most insolent robber. Since the Word of God who is above all, the Giver of all might and Lord of powers attacked him, having become man, all his goods have been plundered and his spoil divided. Those of old who had been ensnared by him into ungodliness and error have been called by the holy apostles to the acknowledgment of the truth and been brought near to God the Father by faith in his Son."(excerpt from COMMENTARY ON LUKE, HOMILY 81)5
The Word Among Us Meditation on Luke 11:15-26 comments that when, in the Gospel, Jesus describes Satan as a strong man guarding a palace, we might envision Pharaoh or Belshazzar sitting on their thrones oppressing God’s people. But we might also recall that like those human overlords, Satan has been overthrown by “one stronger than he” (Luke 11:22). That’s Jesus! And Jesus did it with nothing more than the “finger of God” (11:20). It was nowhere near an even match! Jesus is simply that much more powerful than the evil one.
During his life, Jesus entered into conflict with Satan and evil spirits on many occasions. Just think of all the demons he cast out or recall his temptation in the desert. But the greatest conflict—and the most resounding victory—took place on the cross. There, Jesus overthrew Satan’s reign and made a “public spectacle” of his enemies (Colossians 2:15). And he did it, not by entering into hand-to-hand combat, but by the humblest, most powerful act of self-giving love the world has ever seen.6
Father James Martin SJ, in an interview on CBC Tapestry, explains his sense of Satan as the personification of evil and encourages LGBTQ Catholics that "you are in a church that is still learning how to love you.”
[J.R.R.] Tolkien was a believer, and I think one of the things that is being played out there is this battle between good and evil. And we can look around and just see signs of that in the world. And I'm not labelling anyone good or evil, but we can see signs of selfishness and greed and hatred and anger in the world — even if you don't believe in it as a personified force like Satan. And then we can look at ourselves and we can see the forces of selfishness and selflessness. Ignatius uses the image of a battle and he says: "You have to pick what standard you want to choose." The standard of Christ, or God, or the standard of Satan.7
Friar Jude Winkler notes that Joel is a very apocalyptic book. Beelzebul in Hebrew is connected to “Lord of the Flies”. Friar Jude reminds us that the choice for Christ has to be complete. We cannot journey with two passports.
Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, comments that Scholar Edward Sellner has traced the influence of early Celtic spirituality to places throughout the world, including St. Francis of Assisi’s area of Italy. This sense of kinship [with animals] was an intrinsic aspect of Celtic Christian spirituality that affected not only those living in Celtic lands, but also significantly influenced later saints who were raised in geographical areas on the Continent, ministered to by Irish missionaries. The numerous animal stories associated with Francis and his attitude of compassion toward animals and birds as “sisters” and “brothers” reflect the spirituality of the Celtic saints.
As the Irish scholar John Scotus Eriugena (c. 810–877 CE) states, “Every visible and invisible creature can be called a theophany, that is, an appearance of the divine”. . . . Celts, both ancient and Christian, experienced an outright mystical connection with nature. This sense of spiritual kinship is reflected in their profound respect for the earth and the natural rhythms of body and soul, precisely because they did not see themselves as “lords” over creation, but spiritually, emotionally, and intellectually connected with it. . . .8
Our path on our journey with Christ passes through difficult areas where we need to act strongly as Jesus disciples to avoid misdirection and separation from fullness of life.
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