Be not angry that you cannot make others as you
wish them to be since you cannot make yourself as you wish to be.
- Thomas à Kempis (1380-1471)
(Love and accept yourself and others, warts and all.)
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JER 7:23-28; PS 95:1-2, 6-7, 8-9
LK 11:14-23
Jesus was driving out a demon that was mute,
and when the demon had gone out,
the mute man spoke and the crowds were amazed.
Some of them 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."
Reflection on the
Scriptures |
If the Evil Spirit can get people to demonize each other, the work of Jesus will be frustrated. If suspicion and distrust can be sown, what room could there be for compassion and love? Hard hearts find it very difficult to be moved by devotion, to be filled with gratitude, or to seek the path of peace and reconciliation.
We have three weeks to let the Spirit of God drive the demons of judgement and division out of our hearts. We still have time to work out some daily patterns of sacrifice to grow in freedom, fasting from what gets in our way, giving to the poor to practice generosity, and examining our consciences to confess our sins - all so that we might be more attuned to the everyday threats to our openness to God's liberating grace.
Each day, we can ask that today we might hear his voice and not harden our hearts.
- by Andy Alexander,
S.J.
Revelations of Divine
Love - by Julian of Norwich
Fourteenth Revelation, Chapter 49
“Where our Lord appeareth, peace is taken, and wrath hath no place.
Immediately is the soul made at one with God when it is truly set at peace in itself”
FOR this was an high marvel to the soul which was continually shewed in all the Revelations, and was with great diligence beholden, that our Lord God, anent Himself may not forgive, for He may not be wroth: it were impossible. For this was shewed: that our life is all grounded and rooted in love, and without love we may not live; and therefore to the soul that of His special grace seeth so
far into the high, marvellous Goodness of God, and seeth that we are endlessly oned to Him in love, it is the most impossible that may be, that God should be wroth. For wrath and friendship be two contraries. For He that wasteth and destroyeth our wrath and maketh us meek and mild,—it behoveth needs to be that He [Himself] be ever one in love, meek and mild: which is contrary to wrath.
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