The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today invite us to ponder our commitment to justice based on our faith and its connection to our justification.
Galatians 3.6-14 proclaims that justification comes by faith in Christ and in his death.
* [3:1–14] Paul’s contention that justification comes not through the law or the works of the law but by faith in Christ and in his death (Gal 2:16, 21) is supported by appeals to Christian experience (Gal 3:1–5) and to scripture (Gal 3:6–14). The gift of God’s Spirit to the Galatians came from the gospel received in faith, not from doing what the law enjoins. The story of Abraham shows that faith in God brings righteousness (Gal 3:6; Gn 15:6). The promise to Abraham (Gal 3:8; Gn 12:3) extends to the Gentiles (Gal 3:14).
* [3:6] Abraham…righteousness: see Gn 15:6; Rom 4:3. The Galatians like Abraham heard with faith and experienced justification. This first argument forms the basis for the further scriptural evidence that follows.
* [3:7–9] Faith is what matters, for Abraham and the children of Abraham, in contrast to the claims of the opponents that circumcision and observance of the law are needed to bring the promised blessing of Gn 12:3; cf. Gn 18:18; Sir 44:21; Acts 3:25.
* [3:10–14] Those who depend not on promise and faith but on works of the law are under a curse because they do not persevere in doing all the things written in the book of the law (Gal 3:10; Dt 27:26) in order to gain life (Gal 3:12; Lv 18:5; cf. Rom 10:5). But scripture teaches that no one is justified before God by the law (Gal 3:11; Heb 2:4, adapted from the Greek version of Habakkuk; cf. Rom 1:17; Heb 10:38). Salvation, then, depends on faith in Christ who died on the cross (Gal 3:13), taking upon himself a curse found in Dt 21:23 (about executed criminals hanged in public view), to free us from the curse of the law (Gal 3:13). That the Gentile Galatians have received the promised Spirit (Gal 3:14) by faith and in no other way returns the argument to the experience cited in Gal 3:1–5. (Galatians, CHAPTER 3 |USCCB, n.d.)
Psalm 111 proclaims how God is revealed in Israel’s history.
* [Psalm 111] A Temple singer (Ps 111:1) tells how God is revealed in Israel’s history (Ps 111:2–10). The deeds reveal God’s very self, powerful, merciful, faithful. The poem is an acrostic, each verse beginning with a successive letter of the Hebrew alphabet.
* [111:1] In the assembled congregation of the upright: in the Temple, cf. Ps 149:1.
* [111:5] Food to those who fear him: probably a reference to the manna in the desert, which elsewhere is seen as a type of the Eucharist, cf. Jn 6:31–33, 49–51. (Psalms, PSALM 111 | USCCB, n.d.)
The Gospel of Luke, presents Jesus and 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.
* [11:22] One stronger: i.e., Jesus. Cf. Lk 3:16 where John the Baptist identifies Jesus as “mightier than I.” (Luke, CHAPTER 11 | USCCB, n.d.)
Eileen Wirth comments that we know from our own lived experiences that being in a family can be messy.
This complexity comes from deep love and intimacy. These people have known you for your entire life and have been witness to all the good and not so good phases of your life. And therein lies the beauty of family.
In today’s gospel we are being called to delve into this same love and intimacy with God. We are being reminded that we are a part of a larger family that has unconditional love flowing from the center. And even though life is messy, and complicated, and difficult to grasp at times there is a place you can go and be seen and loved in all your imperfections.
The challenge for us is to accept this membership and our other family members for their warts and flaws. Let us pray today to embrace the love and grace that comes with being a member of God’s family. Let’s practice acceptance and understanding as we work to love ourselves and others. (Wirth, n.d.)
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) (Schwager, n.d.)
Friar Jude Winkler reflects on the texts for today. The missionaries to the Galatians were Jewish Christians who criticized Paul as being anti-Jewish. So in this letter Paul uses midrash technique drawing a verse from here and a verse from there to make his argument. The children of Abraham, a man of faith had only three children and so Paul indicates they are children by faith not biologically. In midrash style Paul then quotes from a totally different book that proclaims lJesus took our curse upon itself. A verse from here and a verse from there is a midrash characteristic. In the Gospel of Luke Jesus is accused of healing by the power of Beelzebul. The Baal of Zebul and the Lord of the files are the origin of this name for the Devil. Friar Jude comments that after an exorcism “a house divided” cannot stand so If liberated a person has to take care of a demon returning with his friends.
The Word Among Us Meditation on Luke 11:15-26 comments that Jesus’ words reveal something so fundamental but so often overlooked: the kingdom of God is not hidden. It’s obvious! You can see it in people being set free from the devil’s harassment or from the grip of disease. In sins being forgiven and the burden of guilt and shame being lifted. In broken relationships being restored, fears being released, anxiety melting into peace. In other words, you may not be able to give a perfectly worded theological definition of the kingdom, but you certainly can recognize it when you see it.
These are just some indications that the kingdom has come to you—there are many more. If you see any of them, rejoice that the Lord has opened your eyes! Rejoice, too, that he is calling you to be a living sign of the kingdom to the people around you. May the light of the kingdom shine through you so that other people can see it and believe!
“Jesus, may your kingdom come—as you work through me!” (Meditation on Luke 11:15-26, 2026)
Father Richard Rohr, OFM, reflects on Cherokee descendant Randy Woodley author of “Planting for the Seventh Generation: What Is Ours to Do” who responds to Francis of Assisi’s deathbed invitation, “I have done what was mine to do. May Christ teach you what is yours”. An old Indian saying puts it more bluntly: The worst thing that can be said about a person is, “He acts like he has no relatives.”
Sound familiar? This is essentially the operating system of Western capitalism—the worldview that treats land as inventory, water as delivery system, people as labor units, and the sick as revenue streams. Take what you can, discard the rest, and never ask who’s downstream.
What my ancestors practiced was the opposite. They understood that humans are the younger siblings in creation—that the plants, animals, waters, and stones have been here longer and know how things work. Our job is not to dominate but to listen, learn, and contribute to the wellbeing of the whole. That’s not metaphor. That’s a survival strategy developed over thousands of years of living in reciprocal relationship with the land.
The mystics have always known that the separate self is an illusion—that we are woven into one another and into creation. That what we do to the least of these, we do to the Sacred. Indigenous peoples have been practicing that truth in daily life for millennia, not as theology to be debated but as a way of being to be lived. It goes by various names, but I call it the Harmony Way….
This is what contemplation should lead to—vulnerability. Not withdrawal from the world but deeper engagement with it. Not escape from suffering but the willingness to sit with it long enough to see clearly what is ours to do. Vulnerability requires living reflectively with yourself but also living deeply into the whole community of creation—all your relatives. Reference:
Randy S. Woodley, “Planting for the Seventh Generation: What Is Ours to Do” ONEING 14, What Is Ours to Do?” (CAC Publishing, 2026): 100–101, 102. (Rohr, n.d.)
We seek the inspiration of the Spirit to sharpen our judgement and seek justice as taught by Jesus and practiced faithfully as we work to honour our Baptismal Anointing as priest, prophet, and leader.
References
Galatians, CHAPTER 3 |USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Bible Readings, Audio and Video Every Morning | USCCB. Retrieved October 9, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/galatians/3?7
Luke, CHAPTER 11 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved October 9, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/luke/11?
Meditation on Luke 11:15-26. (2026, October 8). The Word Among Us. Retrieved October 9, 2026, from https://wau.org/meditations/2026/10/08/1689572/
Psalms, PSALM 111 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved October 9, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/111?1
Rohr, R. (n.d.). Listen, Learn, and Contribute. Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved October 9, 2026, from https://cac.org/daily-meditations/listen-learn-and-contribute/
Schwager, D. (n.d.). If It Is by the Finger of God. Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations – Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved October 9, 2026, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/
Wirth, E. (n.d.). Daily Reflections | Creighton Online Ministries. Creighton Online Ministries. Retrieved October 9, 2026, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/daily-reflections
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