Meditation Minute

My Dearest Brothers and Sisters in Christ:

“If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand.”

Gospel Reading: Mark 3:22-30 The scribes who had come from Jerusalem said of Jesus, “He is possessed by Beelzebul,” and “By the prince of demons he drives out demons.” Summoning them, he began to speak to them in parables, “How can Satan drive out Satan? If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. And if a house is divided against itself, that house will not be able to stand. And if Satan has risen up against himself and is divided, he cannot stand; that is the end of him. But no one can enter a strong man’s house to plunder his property unless he first ties up the strong man. Then he can plunder his house. Amen, I say to you, all sins and all blasphemies that people utter will be forgiven them. But whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will never have forgiveness, but is guilty of an everlasting sin.” For they had said, “He has an unclean spirit.”

In today’s Gospel reading, Jesus is accused of being associated with the Satan, the prince of demons. It is apparent from their accusations, that the scribes and the Pharisees do not understand the miracles that Jesus has performed. They have developed so much hatred for Christ that they refuse to see his miracles. Jesus challenges the Pharisees to think differently. He says to the Pharisees, “How can Satan drive out Satan?” Would it not take someone stronger than Satan to accomplish this. The Pharisees are called to recognize the strength and power of Jesus. Jesus uses his power to free man from the enslavement of Satan. How can this be a deed of Satan, but a deed of God himself? We must recognize that Satan is stronger than us and without God’s help, our house will be plundered. Satan looks to enter our house and occupy it. But if we surrender ourselves to God, He will defeat the power of Satan and build a stronghold around us.

At times we also have a hard time recognizing God in our life. We must be willing to open our eyes to see God’s action in our life. Jesus has performed several miracles and the Pharisees cannot accept that Christ is the Messiah. They do not want to admit that Christ can perform miracles because doing so would mean that they accept that he is our Lord and Master. This is what Christ calls the “blasphemes against the Holy Spirit.” The Pharisees have become so disconnected with God, that they no longer recognize him. The same can happen to us. How can we ask Christ to help us if we reject him. This is like going to a Doctor for help and rejecting everything the doctor tells you to do to get better. You begin to believe that the doctor is poisoning you instead of saving you. When we reject Gods teachings and rationalize our own sinfulness, we commit blasphemy against the Holy Spirit. We must avoid denying Christ in our life; we must avoid rejecting his teachings; but most importantly, we must open our hearts to commandments of God. This is the medicine that cures us and saves us. It is the medicine that frees us from the bondage of Satan. It is the medicine that brings us to eternal life.

A Simple Prayer

Father in Heaven, you are the healer.

Only you can free me from Satan and his bondage.

Open my eyes to see the miracles you perform in my life.

Yours in Christ

Michael Marcon