Daily Readings - Fri Oct 11 2019

¹³Priests, gird yourselves and lament. Ministers of the altars, wail. Enter, ministers of my God, lie in sackcloth. For sacrifice and libation have passed away from the house of your God¹⁴Sanctify a fast, call an assembly, gather the elders and all the inhabitants of the land into the house of your God. And cry out to the Lord¹⁵"Ah, ah, ah, the day!" For the day of the Lord is near, and it will arrive, like a devastation, before the powerful

Chapter 2

¹Blow the trumpet in Zion, wail on my holy mountain, let all the inhabitants of the land be stirred up. For the day of the Lord is on its way; for it is near²a day of darkness and gloom, a day of clouds and whirlwinds. Like the morning reaching over the mountains, they are a numerous and strong people. Nothing like them has existed since the beginning, nor will exist after them, even in the years of generation upon generation

Luke

Chapter 11

¹⁵But some of them said, "It is by Beelzebub, the leader of demons, that he casts out demons.¹⁶And others, testing him, required a sign from heaven of him¹⁷But when he perceived their thoughts, he said to them: "Every kingdom divided against itself will become desolate, and house will fall upon house¹⁸So then, if Satan is also divided against himself, how will his kingdom stand? For you say that it is by Beelzebub that I cast out demons¹⁹But if I cast out demons by Beelzebub, by whom do your own sons cast them out? Therefore, they shall be your judges²⁰Moreover, if it is by the finger of God that I cast out demons, then certainly the kingdom of God has overtaken you²¹When a strong armed man guards his entrance, the things that he possesses are at peace²²But if a stronger one, overwhelming him, has defeated him, he will take away all his weapons, in which he trusted, and he will distribute his spoils²³Whoever is not with me, is against me. And whoever does not gather with me, scatters²⁴When an unclean spirit has departed from a man, he walks through waterless places, seeking rest. And not finding any, he says: ‘I will return to my house, from which I departed.²⁵And when he has arrived, he finds it swept clean and decorated²⁶Then he goes, and he takes in seven other spirits with him, more wicked than himself, and they enter and live there. And so, the end of that man is made worse than the beginning.

Sermon

The readings today invite us to reflect on the urgency of repentance and the reality of spiritual struggle. In the first reading from Joel, we hear a call to lament and prepare for the Day of the Lord, which is described as a time of darkness and devastation. Joel urges the priests and the people to sanctify a fast, gather in prayer, and cry out to the Lord. This passage emphasizes the nearness of God’s judgment and the need for humility and conversion. The prophet’s words are a stark reminder that our actions have consequences and that we must turn to God with sincerity before it is too late. In the Gospel, Jesus responds to accusations that He casts out demons by the power of Beelzebub, the leader of demons. He counters this by pointing out the absurdity of Satan working against himself and instead reveals that His power comes from God. He warns that the unclean spirit, once expelled, may return if the soul is not filled with the grace of God. This teaching highlights the spiritual battle we face and the importance of being rooted in God’s kingdom. If we do not actively seek to follow Christ and allow His Spirit to dwell within us, we risk being overtaken by darkness. These readings call us to examine our lives and our relationship with God. Joel’s call to repentance and Jesus’ warning about the unclean spirit remind us that our spiritual lives require constant attention and vigilance. We must not take God’s grace for granted or assume that we are safe from the forces of evil. Instead, we should strive to live in a state of ongoing conversion, seeking God’s mercy and strength in our daily lives. Let us turn to the Lord with humble hearts, asking for the grace to remain faithful and to be filled with His Spirit, so that we may stand firm against the temptations and challenges of our world.