27TH FRIDAY IN ORDINARY TIME - Gospel (Luke 11:15-26) - THE WORD OF GOD FOR EVERYONE

“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.” (Lk 11:26)

FIRST READING - Joel 1:13-15; 2:1-2

"The day of the Lord is coming, a day of darkness and gloom."

A reading from the Book of Joel

^13 [a]Gird yourselves and lament, you priests! wail, ministers of the altar! Come, spend the night in sackcloth, ministers of my God! For the grain offering and the libation are withheld from the house of your God. ¹⁴ Proclaim a holy fast! Call an assembly! Gather the elders, all who dwell in the land, To the house of the Lord, your God, and cry out to the Lord! ¹⁵ O! The day!^[b] For near is the day of the Lord, like destruction from the Almighty it is coming! ^1 [a]Blow the horn in Zion, sound the alarm on my holy mountain! Let all the inhabitants of the land tremble, for the day of the Lord is coming! Yes, it approaches, ² a day of darkness and gloom, a day of thick clouds! Like dawn^[b] spreading over the mountains, a vast and mighty army! Nothing like it has ever happened in ages past, nor will the future hold anything like it, even to the most distant generations.

GOSPEL OF THE DAY - Lk 11:15-26

"But if it is by the finger of God that [I] drive out demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you."

✠From the Gospel according to Luke

¹⁵ Some of them said, “By the power of Beelzebul, the prince of demons, he drives out demons.” ¹⁶ Others, to test him, asked him for a sign from heaven. ¹⁷ But he knew their thoughts and said to them, “Every kingdom divided against itself will be laid waste and house will fall against house. ¹⁸ 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. ¹⁹ If I, then, drive out demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your own people^[a] drive them out? Therefore they will be your judges. ²⁰ But if it is by the finger of God that [I] drive out demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you. ²¹ When a strong man fully armed guards his palace, his possessions are safe. ²² But when one stronger^[b] than he attacks and overcomes him, he takes away the armor on which he relied and distributes the spoils. ²³ Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters.

²⁴ “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.’ ²⁵ But upon returning, it finds it swept clean and put in order. ²⁶ 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 person is worse than the first.”

27TH FRIDAY IN ORDINARY TIME - Gospel (Luke 11:15-26)

THE WORD OF GOD FOR EVERYONE

Dear People of God,

In today’s Word of God, God the Father teaches the apostles of the past and present how to work; when fighting against Satan, we must listen to His teachings and put them into practice.

What God the Father wants to convey here is: Satan will only be the one who opposes God the Father's plan, only comes to cause division, envy, jealousy, pride, rivalry, wanting to separate people from God's guidance, causing suspicion among one another.

God the Father wants to make known to humanity that we should not resist His holy will, for doing so harms not only our own souls but also the souls of others.

As in today's Word of God, God calls on humanity to believe in the power and strength of Jesus Christ, the true God, who came into the world to love and cast out Satan. All who believe in the name of Jesus Christ, the Only Begotten Son of God, and live and act according to His teachings, will be able to resist the temptations of Satan.

Therefore, we should humbly and simply accept the reality of God's blessings that He gives our brothers and sisters who have power over Satan and refrain from judging or condemning them. God the Father also teaches those whom he touches to drive away Satan, who is controlling their souls and bodies. They must live in a way that resists Satan's tempting intrusions that make us commit sins. That means knowing how to carry out God the Father's holy will in all places and at all times, through a gentle and humble life, through a life of love and forgiveness, through a life of fearing God the Father above all else and loving others as ourselves, always living in intimate union with God the Father, so that with an empty heart, filled with love and fear of God, Satan will no longer have the opportunity to cause the soul to sin and displease God the Father.

Let us put into practice in our daily lives God the Father’s teachings, for God's word is the light and the path that leads humanity to the happiness of the Kingdom of Heaven.

God the Father calls on humanity to repent, abandon the path of sin, and return to God the Father. To renounce Satan and resist its temptations through a pure and holy life, from body to soul.

To unite intimately with God the Father, receiving the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ in daily life.

Thanks be to God. Amen.