Thursday of the
Third Week of Lent
(Jeremiah 7:23-28; Luke 11:14-23)
The elderly woman said that her grandchildren believe in
God. She went on that they try to help others. But, she concluded, they see no reason to go
to church. There is a parallel here with
the challenge the people pose to Jesus in today’s gospel.
Jesus has just driven out a demon. The exorcism invites the people’s following
him. Will they let go of their
prejudices against the poor and strangers? Will they repent of their sins and
grant forgiveness to others? To follow him means living in these ways. But the people refuse to change. Rather they try to refute Jesus. As the elderly woman’s grandchildren refuse to
go to church, they say that Jesus can cast out demons because he is in league them. Then they demand a sign if he expects them to
believe in him.
Jesus patiently responds with a three-fold argument. First, he says that in fact Satan is being
defeated. This is something as beneficial as it is evident with the formerly
mute man now speaking. Second, he bids his critics to compare him with other
exorcists who work in God’s name. He is
implying that his power to cast out demons comes from the same source as theirs. Finally, he proposes that they open their
eyes to see what following him means.
They will find through him all the blessings of the Kingdom of God.
It is incumbent upon us followers of Jesus to show people
today that belief in God makes best sense when done with the Church. Further, we have to give evidence that their
aspirations of goodness are best fulfilled under Church auspices. We accomplish
the first task by contemplating the Word of God proclaimed in the liturgy and talking
about it with others. We complete the
second by living simply and sharing our bounty with the needy.
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