Remain united in Jesus

FRIENDS and SERVANTS of the WORD

Monday 22 January 2024 Week 3

LAURA VICUNA

WORD of the DAY 

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.” (Mark 3: 22-30)

How shall I live this Word?     

The fact that Jesus casts out demons cannot be denied even by the scribes. however, this fact is used as a reason for opposition. “He is a devil”. The scribes coming from Jerusalem, unable to give reason for what Jesus does and that is under the eyes of all, try to discredit His action by accusing Him of being a magician and acting on behalf of the devil. It only takes a little common sense to understand that good and evil are on two different levels and that one can certainly not depend on the other. All, making good use of reason, can understand that any power that opposes itself is destined to implode and disappear.

In affirming these simple truths, Jesus declares that He has come to fight evil. The signs He carries out are the announcement of this definitive victory over evil. There will still be many battles but the war is won! Jesus, with a compelling logic, dismantles piece by piece the prejudice of the scribes who, instead of accepting the evidence of the facts, give a malevolent rereading. “How can satan cast out satan? If a kingdom is divided into itself, that kingdom cannot stand; if a house is divided in itself, that house cannot stand. In the same way, if satan rebels against himself and is divided, he cannot resist, but he is about to end.”

The secret of a “standing house” is in the unity of the different structures. If evil to be evil must act together, in the same way we can say that good to be good needs unity. The worst that can happen to us is in fact division, and one of the ways that evil has to ruin the good is just to let in division. (in Greek devil is the one who divides!) This is how our relationships are destroyed: families, friendships, communities, associations, … Sin against the Spirit is to deny the evidence of things in order not to accept them. It is to cut yourself off from the love of God that saves.

Lord, always be the guide of my actions according to Your will so that Your name may bring the fruits of love and unity in my daily life.

The voice of a teenager, Blessed Laura Vicuna

Oh my God, I want to love You and to serve You for my whole life. Thus, I give to You my soul, my heart, all my being. I want to die rather than offend You with sin.  I intend to mortify myself in all that would turn me away from You. I propose to do what I know and can so that You may be known and loved, and to atone for the offenses You receive every day from men and women, especially from the people of my family. My God, give me a life of love, mortification, sacrifice.

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