Luke 11:15-26

Joel 1:13-15; 2:1-2

Psalm 9:2-3, 6 and 16, 8-9

Luke 11:15-26

When Jesus had driven out a demon, some of the crowd said:

“By the power of Beelzebul, the prince of demons,

he drives out demons.”

Others, to test him, asked him for a sign from heaven.

But he knew their thoughts and said to them,

“Every kingdom divided against itself will be laid waste

and house will fall against house.

And if Satan is divided against himself, how will his kingdom stand?

For you say that it is by Beelzebul that I drive out demons.

If I, then, drive out demons by Beelzebul,

by whom do your own people drive them out?

Therefore they will be your judges.

But if it is by the finger of God that I drive out demons,

then the Kingdom of God has come upon you.

When a strong man fully armed guards his palace,

his possessions are safe.

But when one stronger than he attacks and overcomes him,

he takes away the armor on which he relied

and distributes the spoils.

Whoever is not with me is against me,

and whoever does not gather with me scatters.

“When an unclean spirit goes out of someone,

it roams through arid regions searching for rest

but, finding none, it says,

‘I shall return to my home from which I came.’

But upon returning, it finds it swept clean and put in order.

Then it goes and brings back seven other spirits

more wicked than itself who move in and dwell there,

and the last condition of that man is worse than the first.”

Opening Prayer: Lord God, protect me from the attacks of the Evil One. Do not allow me to succumb to temptation, fall into despair, or stray from your ways. I belong to you and your Kingdom. I will fight the good fight and, with your grace, finish the race.

Encountering the Word of God

1. The Power behind Jesus’ Exorcisms: Jesus’ public ministry consisted of teaching the crowds about the Kingdom of God, healing the sick, raising the dead, fulfilling the Law and the prophets, forming his apostles to exercise authority, and driving out demons. The opponents of Jesus could not deny that he was doing wondrous things. Jesus’ mighty deeds didn’t bring them to faith, but to fury: “But they were filled with fury and discussed with one another what they might do to Jesus” (Luke 6:11). They were desperate to explain the source of Jesus’ power and authority. They denied that Jesus’ power was divine, and so, they concluded, it must be demonic: “By the power of Beelzebul, the prince of demons, he drives out demons” (Luke 11:15). Beelzebul was a derogatory name for Satan. Originally, it was a philistine god worshiped at Ekron (2 Kings 1:2-16). It means, “Prince Baal,” but the Jews mockingly changed it to mean “Lord of the flies,” or “Lord of dung.”

2. Liberation and Life in the Spirit: Jesus points out the flaw in this kind of reasoning. Why would Satan work to undermine his kingdom of darkness? Jesus is not working for Satan or on behalf of Satan when he drives out demons. Jesus, rather, is the strongman who binds Satan, overthrows him, and plunders his house by releasing sinners held captive. Now, when a person experiences the liberation that Jesus brings, it is important to fill up the void left by the demons and sin. We need to be filled with the goodness of Christ’s kingdom. “To benefit from his ministry without accepting his message leads to spiritual ruin” (2 Peter 2:20) (Ignatius Catholic Study Bible, 1855). For example, when a person tries to overcome an addiction, it is not enough to just not fall into whatever vice they were trapped in. If a person spent their evenings at the bar or at home getting drunk, and then went cold turkey in an attempt to be sober, what are they going to fill the now-empty hours with? And so, Jesus teaches that vice needs to be replaced by virtue, and a life of sin by a life in the Spirit. It is not enough to empty the house. It needs to be filled with God.

3. The Book of the Prophet Joel: Today and tomorrow, the First Reading will be taken from the book of the prophet Joel. Almost nothing is known about its author, and it is not easy to determine when he lived and delivered his prophetic message. The liturgy reads Joel along with the other postexilic prophets, possibly because Joel refers to the selling of captives from Judah as slaves “to the Greeks” (Joel 3:6). So, it is possible that the Book of Joel was composed around 400 B.C. The book has two main parts. The first part deals with a present crisis, and the prophet laments a recent plague of locusts (1:2-20) and views it as a foretaste of the coming “Day of the Lord” (2:1-11). The second part of the book looks to the future. If the people of Judah repent, then God promises to restrain his judgment on Judah and restore his blessings on the land (Joel 2:18-27). “And beyond the horizons of Joel’s day lies the eschatological fulfillment of God’s plans. Events to come include an outpouring of God’s Spirit on his people (2:28-29), the salvation of a faithful remnant in Zion (2:30-32), and a day of harvest when the Lord judges all nations (3:1-15). The book concludes with a vision of the Lord dwelling securely with his people in an undefiled Jerusalem” (Ignatius Catholic Study Bible, 1503). Today, we hear the admonition to do penance and fast, for the Day of the Lord, the day of judgment, is coming. This is when the Lord will settle accounts with Israel and the nations. It is a day when the prideful and arrogant will be humbled, while the humble and those who served with love will be exalted.

Conversing with Christ: Lord Jesus, you are my King. Through your passion and death, you have inaugurated the Kingdom of your Father and now reign from heaven at the Father’s right hand. Reign in me and keep me in a right relationship with you and the Father through your Holy Spirit.

Living the Word of God: Have I ever fallen into any sinful addictions? If so, how did I overcome them? If I am still trapped by them, what are some steps I can take today to break free from them?