First Reading: Joel 1:13–15; 2:1–2
Gird yourselves and weep, O priests!
wail, O ministers of the altar!
Come, spend the night in sackcloth,
O ministers of my God!
The house of your God is deprived
of offering and libation.
Proclaim a fast,
call an assembly;
Gather the elders,
all who dwell in the land,
Into the house of the Lord, your God,
and cry to the Lord!
Alas, the day!
for near is the day of the Lord,
and it comes as ruin from the Almighty.
Blow the trumpet in Zion,
sound the alarm on my holy mountain!
Let all who dwell in the land tremble,
for the day of the Lord is coming;
Yes, it is near, a day of darkness and of gloom,
a day of clouds and somberness!
Like dawn spreading over the mountains,
a people numerous and mighty!
Their like has not been from of old,
nor will it be after them,
even to the years of distant generations.
Responsorial Psalm: Ps 1:1-2, 3, 4 and 6
R./ The Lord will judge the world with justice.
I will give thanks to you, O Lord, with all my heart;
I will declare all your wondrous deeds.
I will be glad and exult in you;
I will sing praise to your name, Most High.
R./ The Lord will judge the world with justice.
You rebuked the nations and destroyed the wicked;
their name you blotted out forever and ever.
The nations are sunk in the pit they have made;
in the snare they set, their foot is caught.
R./ The Lord will judge the world with justice.
But the Lord sits enthroned forever;
he has set up his throne for judgment.
He judges the world with justice;
he governs the peoples with equity.
R./ The Lord will judge the world with justice.
Gospel Reading: Lk 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."
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
A passage from the Talmud—a kind of Jewish encyclopedia compiled around the 5th century but preserving much older traditions—says that Jesus “was hanged for practicing sorcery and leading Israel astray.” This is clearly the non-believing version of what today’s Gospel presents to us: a psychological healing performed by Jesus is interpreted as an act of magic or a use of demonic powers. These critics don’t come across as sincere seekers of truth, but as people hardened against Jesus’ new message. Rather than change their lives or reevaluate their views, they discredit the teacher. The precise nature of the event matters little here; what matters is the Gospel’s warning against hardness of heart—against being so set in one’s ways that one refuses to be challenged and instead labels undeniable good as the work of the devil.
There’s no need to dwell on the difficulties of this Gospel passage, which is steeped in the mythic worldview of the time. The world—and each person—is seen as a battlefield, where both Jesus and the devil (or demonic powers) are vying for possession. In very reserved kerygmatic language, Jesus refers to Himself as the “stronger one”—a way of speaking about the coming of God’s Kingdom, which establishes itself by overpowering the merely “strong.” That’s good news. But then comes a sharp warning: the house once taken by the “stronger one” can fall again into the hands of the “strong one,” the previous master. That would be a tragic spiritual relapse.
At one point, Jesus spoke of followers who later regretted their decision—those who, after putting their hand to the plow, looked back (Lk 9:62). Others might face the same temptation. In Luke’s Church—already removed from the earliest days and anticipating a long history ahead with no immediate expectation of the Second Coming—enthusiasm for the “stronger one” may begin to fade, and the door could reopen to the previous occupant. That would be apostasy—something Jesus equates with falling under the power of seven demons.
About a century ago, scholars attempting to “demythologize” the New Testament assumed that in such a worldview, there was no room for personal responsibility—human beings were seen merely as playthings of heavenly or infernal powers, with no real freedom. But this Gospel passage tells us otherwise. Jesus appealed directly to personal decision-making, urging each person to reflect on what they were doing with their life. Luke captures this well by inserting, between two strange parables, the saying about being with Jesus or against Him.
Each of us is being questioned today: To whom have we opened our house? To Jesus, the “stronger one,” or to the first seducer or deceiver who came knocking—who can go by many names? We are invited to stay vigilant, to guard against any “relapse” in our journey of faith.
Your brother,
Severiano Blanco, CMF OUR LADY OF THE ROSARY - Memorial
October 7
Introduction
The opening words of the Hail Mary, which are taken from the words of the angel and of Elizabeth to Mary, point out the place of Mary in the history of salvation: she is chosen by God to give Christ to the world. This is why in the rosary, we meditate on the mysteries of Christ, in which Mary was his associate. With her, we too, have to let God's Word become flesh and blood in us and in others.
Opening Prayer
Lord our God
you let Jesus, your Word, become one of us
and gave him to the world
through the Blessed Virgin Mary.
With her, may we give shape
to the living Word of Jesus
by making him come to life
in our words and deeds
and bringing his hope and peace,
his forgiveness and joy to the world,
for he is our Lord for ever.
Prayer over the Gifts
Lord our God,
Mary, the Mother of Jesus,
placed herself with all she was and had
in the service of your Son.
Through this bread and wine,
we commit ourselves
to your Son and his work.
Accept our offering
and confirm us in our purpose
through Jesus Christ, our Lord.
Prayer after Communion
Lord our God,
your Word became flesh in Mary;
your Word became flesh among us
here in this Eucharist.
With the help of the prayers
of the woman full of grace,
let us become a free gift of grace
to all whom we encounter,
that Jesus Christ may live among us,
now and for ever.
