Meditation Minute

My Dearest Brothers and Sisters in Christ:

 

“Every kingdom divided against itself will be laid waste and house will fall against house.”

 

Gospel Reading: 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.”

 

In today’s Gospel reading, Jesus is casting out the demons which plague the people of Israel. Some Jews thought that Jesus was somehow linked to Satan since he was able to tell the demons what to do. They thought he might be their leader since he was able to command them.  They questioned where he got his authority and power. We are well into Jesus’ mission and these Jews continue to resent Jesus and deny his miracles. They simply cannot believe that a man could do such a feat. What they fail to see is the power of God alive within Christ and more importantly, to recognize that Jesus is the Son of God. Jesus tells them: “Every kingdom divided against itself will be laid waste and house will fall against house.” If Satan is wiping out his own, wouldn’t his legions eventually fail? The doubters would rather attribute the power to Satan then admit that Jesus is the Son of God. Jesus tells them just the opposite, “But if it is by the finger of God that I drive out demons, then the Kingdom of God has come upon you.” Jesus is trying to tell them that his ability to dispel demons is proof that the Kingdom of God has arrived. Jesus has come to defeat Satan and his armies by the “finger of God.”

 

Why does Jesus talk about a House divided? If the house is divided it is weakened by arguing and fighting between its own. This message is still true today. Christians are divided into many different sects. We are so focused on the differences between our beliefs instead of focusing on the similarities. Saint John Paul the Great told us to forget about the differences and focus on the commonalities between the religions, thereby we can begin to restore the one true mother church. We do not see our fellow Christians as believers in Christ, but as disbelievers. Just think if we all joined forces together how big an impact that would have on the world. The divided house among Christians is the work of Satan. The more Satan can cause us to argue, the more divided we become. The more divided we become, the weaker we become.

 

But Jesus gives us hope. In the second half of Gospel Jesus says, “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.” The Strong Man is Satan who works hard to occupy our hearts and our homes. Jesus is stronger than Satan and can overcome him. If we let God into our hearts, God will conquer Satan and cast out his spoils. But just because Satan is cast out, he does not give up. “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.’” Satan will return, over and over again continually trying to conquer our souls. We must continually clean our house and be ever vigilant against his tricks and evil ways.

 

A Simple Prayer

 

Lord Jesus, cast out the demons which plague my life.

Dispel from me those spirits which keep me from the Kingdom of God.

Purify my house so that it stands united.

 

Yours in Christ

Michael Marcon

Meditation Minute

My Dearest Brothers and Sisters in Christ:

 

“Ask and you will receive; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.”

 

Gospel Reading: Luke 11:5-13

 

Jesus said to his disciples: “Suppose one of you has a friend to whom he goes at midnight and says, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves of bread, for a friend of mine has arrived at my house from a journey and I have nothing to offer him,’ and he says in reply from within, ‘Do not bother me; the door has already been locked and my children and I are already in bed. I cannot get up to give you anything.’ I tell you, if he does not get up to give him the loaves because of their friendship, he will get up to give him whatever he needs because of his persistence.  “And I tell you, ask and you will receive; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks, receives; and the one who seeks, finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened. What father among you would hand his son a snake when he asks for a fish? Or hand him a scorpion when he asks for an egg? If you then, who are wicked, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him?”

 

Today’s gospel reading tells us that our Father is welcoming and always ready to receive us. Jesus tells the story of a late night traveler seeking hospitality from his host. No matter what time the traveler arrives, it was the obligation of the town to receive and entertain this traveler. The host needs bread to nourish the traveler and must go and get bread from one of his neighbors. Unfortunately the friend would not provide the bread, but because of the importance of the visitor the neighbor persisted. This story is about prayer and asking for God’s unending supply of grace which is poured out for us. Jesus tells his disciples that they must be persistent in their prayer – “ask and you will receive; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.” If you ask God in prayer, He will provide everything you need; if you seek out God, you will find Him there with you; and if you knock on his door, He will open it and receive you in.

 

God answers every prayer – the answer just might be no. Jesus tells them, “What father among you would hand his son a snake when he asks for a fish?” Jesus is telling his disciples that God will only provide what is good and what is needed. God understands what our heart is longing. We may not see it the same way, but God knows what is best. Jesus uses the image of the father-child relationship to demonstrate God’s heavenly relationship with us on earth. A good father will provide what his children need and will not provide anything that will harm them. God provides us with what is needed to nourish us both physically and spiritually. He provides what is needed to feed the body. Jesus concludes this story telling us how overflowing God’s grace actually is, “If you then, who are wicked, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him?” This last statement tells us that God’s grace is abundant, overflowing and unending. God provides more then what we need or we expect. God gives us his gifts freely and without conditions. We do not even have to deserve them and he will provide. We must pray with confidence for our God is kind and merciful.

 

A Simple Prayer

 

Most Heavenly Father, I come to you with an open heart.

Pour your grace out upon me. My wants are many but my needs are few.

All I ask is that you provide me with your grace so that I might live as your disciple.

 

Yours in Christ

Michael Marcon

 

Meditation Minute

My Dearest Brothers and Sisters in Christ:

 

“Lord, teach us to pray just as John taught his disciples.”

 

Gospel Reading: Luke 11:1-4

 

Jesus was praying in a certain place, and when he had finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray just as John taught his disciples.” He said to them, “When you pray, say:  Father, hallowed be your name, your Kingdom come. Give us each day our daily bread and forgive us our sins for we ourselves forgive everyone in debt to us, and do not subject us to the final test.”

 

Have you ever heard someone speak and marveled at how eloquently the words came from their mouth. They seemed to have everything just right. That’s how the disciples must have felt when they watched Jesus pray to his Father. The love that flowed between the two must have been overwhelming to those watching. The disciples wanted to learn how to pray with the same expression of love that was evident in the relationship between God the Father and Jesus the Son. This may seem like a very strange request, especially since Jews were very devoted to prayer. But Jesus must have been awesome to watch pray. His praying must have been inspirational to those who saw him. I’m sure they were expecting some long drawn out teaching, but Jesus responds with a simple response.

 

Jesus responds to his disciples with the Lord’s Prayer; a simple yet confident prayer. It begins with a recognition of who God is - “Father, hallowed be thy name.” In the introduction, we recognize that God is Lord of All and that He is sacred. Then we recognize the fact that God’s kingdom is here among us on earth – “your kingdom come.” It is here among us! We just need to open our eyes and see it.  This is more than a statement, it is a request to bring forth the Kingdom that we may experience it for ourselves. In this statement, we recognize that we are building the Kingdom of God through the will of God. In the end, we must recognize what creates a barrier to the Kingdom of Heaven; sin.  We must acknowledge not that we are sinners, but at the same time we must be willing to forgive those who have trespassed against us.  How can we truly express the love between the Father and Son unless all barriers of hatred are removed?  To help us in our activities, we must also humble ourselves to understand where our treasures comes from.  It is our father in heaven who provides us the nourishment we need to go forth into the world to do his will.  The Lord’s Prayer is simple, yet confident. Pray with confidence in the words our Father gave us. Listen to the words and understand what you are asking. God’s unending grace will free us from the traps and snares which cause us to sin.

 

A Simple Prayer

 

Father, hallowed be your name, your Kingdom come.

Give us each day our daily bread and

Forgive us our sins for we ourselves forgive everyone in debt to us, and

Do not subject us to the final test.

 

Yours in Christ

Michael Marcon

 

Meditation Minute

My Dearest Brothers and Sisters in Christ:

 

“You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart.”

 

Gospel Reading: Luke 10:25-37

 

There was a scholar of the law who stood up to test Jesus and said, “Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” Jesus said to him, “What is written in the law? How do you read it?” He said in reply, “You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your being, with all your strength, and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself.” He replied to him, “You have answered correctly; do this and you will live.” But because he wished to justify himself, he said to Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?” Jesus replied, “A man fell victim to robbers as he went down from Jerusalem to Jericho. They stripped and beat him and went off leaving him half-dead. A priest happened to be going down that road, but when he saw him, he passed by on the opposite side. Likewise a Levite came to the place, and when he saw him, he passed by on the opposite side. But a Samaritan traveler who came upon him was moved with compassion at the sight. He approached the victim, poured oil and wine over his wounds and bandaged them. Then he lifted him up on his own animal, took him to an inn, and cared for him. The next day he took out two silver coins and gave them to the innkeeper with the instruction, ‘Take care of him. If you spend more than what I have given you, I shall repay you on my way back.’ Which of these three, in your opinion, was neighbor to the robbers’ victim?” He answered, “The one who treated him with mercy.” Jesus said to him, “Go and do likewise.”

 

How far are you willing to go to obtain eternal life? Jesus says its simple, “Love God with everything you have and love your neighbor even if he is your enemy.” Such simple words, yet so hard to do. In the parable in today’s Gospel reading, a priest and a Levite, both fellow Jews, leave the man on the side of the road to die, while the person least likely to help the man, the Samaritan a sworn enemy to the Jews, stops to render aid. Christ calls us to do the same, we are called to render aid to everyone, even to those who we do not want to render aid. So you’re probably asking, why didn’t the priest and the Levite stop and render aid.  Because the man was bleeding and was considered unclean.  No priest or Rabbi would have stopped and touched the man because it would have made them spiritually impure. But Christ tells us that these human rituals and laws do not surpass the requirement to help our fellow man, no matter who or under what circumstance. 

 

We must be willing to help everyone who is in need of help. We must be willing to defend everyone who is being treated unjustly. The parable tells us that not only must we render aid to everyone, but we must also help our enemy get back on his feet. How far are you willing to go for your enemy? You must be willing to die to the views of the world. God did not give us hatred, it is a learned trait given to us in our fallen world. Hatred consumes the love that God has poured out for us. Hatred causes neighbors to kill neighbors. Hatred consumes our very soul. How can you go to heaven if you do not love and cherish all of the creations of God? Ask God to give you the strength to love those who you hate. Ask God to abolish the hatred in your soul so you can reach out to your enemy. How can you love God and hate one of his creations. We must treat our enemy with mercy.

 

A Simple Prayer

 

Lord God, help me abolish the hatred which grows in my heart.

Help me to learn to love my neighbor as I love you.

May learn to have mercy for all as you have given mercy to me.

 

Yours in Christ

Michael F. Marcon

 

Meditation Minute

My Dearest Brothers and Sisters in Christ:

 

“Will you be exalted to heaven?”

 

Gospel Reading: Luke 10:13-16

 

Jesus said to them, “Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the mighty deeds done in your midst had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would long ago have repented, sitting in sackcloth and ashes. But it will be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon at the judgment than for you. And as for you, Capernaum, ‘Will you be exalted to heaven? You will go down to the netherworld.’ Whoever listens to you listens to me. Whoever rejects you rejects me. And whoever rejects me rejects the one who sent me.”

 

Today’s gospel reading probably has a very powerful punch for many of us.  Jesus is fairly stern in His message, but at the same time He calls us into action.  What does it take to be exalted into heaven, but to unconditionally accept Jesus Christ and his mission.  We too are called to go among the people and preach his message, not necessarily in words, but truly in our actions.  What is it that we are teaching those around us?  Are we giving them clear guidance or do we send mixed signals?  Remember, whoever listens to you, sees the message of God.  So often our actions speak much loader then any words.  People judge us based on what we do and not necessarily on what we say.  If we lead by bad example, then we tell others it is okay to do the same.  They believe that this is the message from Christ himself.  If we truly humble ourselves before Christ and take that same humility forth into our community, then people will hear the true message from God.  You need to ask yourself some very simple questions.  If Jesus were to visit our community, what would he say?  Would he be happy about what he sees?  If He visited your school, would he praise the activities of the students?  If he visited your church, would He complement us or, would He issue the same warnings he gave Chorazin and Bethsaida? 

 

Jesus’ mission was to go out to the communities and present the Word of Good.  He traveled from community to community preaching the Good News, healing the sick and performing miracles before the people.  To initiate change in our community, we must be open to the message and allow the grace of God to work in us.  The Gospels are life-giving words that save us from eternal destruction.  They bring us closer to God.  The Gospel is the light which will leads us to the narrow gate of heaven.  Through the words of Christ, we can find salvation.  Jesus was upset because Chorazin and Bethsaida ignored his teaching.  His anger was directed at their sinful way and the lack of concern for their salvation.  He was angry out of love, not hatred.  He loved them so much the He does not want them to destroy their souls.  He wants all of us to join him in the Kingdom of Heaven.  Do you hear the word of God or are you indifferent?  Take time today to reflect on that question.  Take time today to decide whether you will put his words into action.  It is time to get up and hear the call.

 

A Simple Prayer

 

My Heavenly Father, open my ears to hear your word.

Give me the strength to put your words into action.

 

Yours in Christ

Michael Marcon