Deadly threats in denying faith

The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today highlight the danger of our arrogant folly that relies on our personal certainty about how to live in relationship with God.

No arrogant positions

Paul asserts in the Letter to the Galatians that peace with God is dependent on faith.

* [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.

Jesus, in the Gospel from Luke, exposes the illogical argument of the source of His power to exorcise and warns us to choose the right side in the battle of good and evil.

* [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

At Stack Exchange, Jewish Historian and Theologian Alfred Edersheim is quoted on how one's religion and good works will be the perfect nest for every evil.

he came back ‘with seven other spirits more wicked than himself’—pride, self-righteousness, unbelief, and the like, the number seven being general—and thus the last state—Israel without the foulness of gross idolatry and garnished with all the adornments of Pharisaic devotion to the study and practice of the Law—was really worse than had been the first with all its open repulsiveness. (The Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah by Alfred Edersheim 2.201)

Thomas Lenz reflects on Jesus saying to the crowd, “Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters.” It feels like Jesus is speaking about the power of being connected with him and with each other.

Together, our strength is more powerful than any demon (whether that demon be Satan himself, our negative self-talk, or the lifestyle behavior we wish we could change). If we put our belief in God and each other, we will conquer the demons compared to if we only try to resolve our issues individually. The belief in God, the belief in our positive direction, and our belief in moving forward as a collective group brings us closer to God because of the power of connectedness and the power of belief.

Don Schwager answers his rhetorical question; “What do you fill the void in your life with?” The Lord Jesus wants to fill our minds and hearts with the power of his life-giving word and healing love.

Jesus makes it very clear that there are no neutral parties in this world. We are either for the Lord Jesus or against him, for the kingdom of God or against it. We cannot serve two kingdoms opposed to each another. There are ultimately only two universal kingdoms which stand in opposition to one another - the kingdom of God - his kingdom of light and truth - and the kingdom of darkness - which is opposed to God's truth and justice and which is dominated by Satan's lies and deception. If we disobey God's word, we open to door to the power of sin and the deception of Satan in our personal lives.

The Word Among Us Meditation on Luke 11:15-26 reminds us that after we turn from old ways and receive God’s forgiveness, we need to fill in the empty places with new ways.

Take a moment right now to identify a habit or tendency that you would like to overcome. Ask the Holy Spirit to help you. Then, along with saying, “I don’t want to do that anymore,” think about what should go in its place. If you tend to complain, for example, ask the Spirit to help you cultivate an attitude of gratefulness. Then look for opportunities when you can specifically thank God for his goodness.

Friar Jude Winkler notes that Paul uses a rabbinic midrash technique in defense of claims by Jewish Christian missionaries that he is not Jewish enough. We can be at peace with God if we are people of faith and trust that God truly loves us like we declare in the Creed. Friar Jude observes that the directive not to continue in evil ways when we convert underlines the cosmic battle between good and evil in the Gospel of Luke.

Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, cites the Carmen Acevedo Butcher translation of The Cloud of Unknowing with the Book of Privy Counsel. We can know so many things.

Become blind during contemplative prayer and cut yourself off from needing to know things. Knowledge hinders, not helps you in contemplation. Be content feeling moved in a delightful, loving way by something mysterious and unknown, leaving you focused entirely on God, with no other thought than of [God] alone. Let your naked desire rest there. . .

Through God’s grace, our minds can explore, understand, and reflect on creation and even on God’s own works [as we should!], but we can’t think our way to God. The position that our understanding cannot help us gain knowledge about God resonates with St. Dionysius [5th/6th century] who said that the best, most divine knowledge of God is that which is known by not-knowing and with 1 Corinthians 13.8-12. Trust in God is the essence of faith that opens our minds to conversion from long standing comfortable habits.

References

(n.d.). Galatians 3. Retrieved October 12, 2018, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/bible/galatians/3:7
(n.d.). Luke 11. Retrieved October 12, 2018, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/luke/luke11.htm
(2017, February 15). luke - What is the meaning of Jesus' teaching about unclean .... Retrieved October 12, 2018, from https://hermeneutics.stackexchange.com/questions/2551/what-is-the-meaning-of-jesus-teaching-about-unclean-spirits-returning-to-a-pers
(n.d.). Creighton U Daily Reflections .... Retrieved October 12, 2018, from http://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/daily.html
(n.d.). Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved October 12, 2018, from https://dailyscripture.servantsoftheword.org/
(n.d.). 27th Week in Ordinary Time - Mass Readings and Catholic Daily .... Retrieved October 12, 2018, from https://wau.org/meditations/
(n.d.). Daily Meditations Archives - Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved October 12, 2018, from https://cac.org/category/daily-meditations/