Fr Kevin Kilgore

***

Gospel: 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.”

The Gospel of the Lord.

***

***

The Gospels are filled with drama.

In a matter of pages, we encounter demons, lepers, prostitutes, murderers, and even Satan himself. 

At first glance, many of us are probably glad we didn’t live back then. Satan seemed to wreak havoc on people’s lives, making Jesus look like a custodian sent to clean up the mess.

***

But is our world much different today?

The mark of evil is division. As Jesus says in the Gospels, “A house divided against itself will fall.” 

By extension – a family, a community, a nation, a world – divided against itself will fall because its members constantly fight amongst themselves.

Do we ever contribute to that division, even in little ways?

If we gossip about other people; if we nurse a grudge or refuse to forgive; if we post negative or false things online, then we do.

***

Instead of sowing division, the Lord urges us to join him on the clean-up crew, as it were, striving to build bonds of unity. After all, this is part of his final prayer before his crucifixion and death: “That they may be one, Father, as we are one.”

How can I help to answer Christ’s prayer for peace? 

Be the first to apologize after an argument. Pray for those who hurt you. Write a note of encouragement. Call a friend who’s lonely. 

As Saint Francis of Assisi prayed some 800 years ago: 

“Lord, make me an instrument of your peace: where there is hatred, let me sow love; where there is injury, pardon; where there is doubt, faith; where there is despair, hope; where there is darkness, light; and where there is sadness, joy.” 

Timeless words that remind us the most important thing we can be in this world is on clean up crew, an instrument of God who longs for peace.

May we find a way to be just that today. 

***

***

Image credits: (1) churchsermonseriesideas.com (2) Gotoheavennow.com (3) Holly Brough Blog

***

Gospel: 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?”

The Gospel of the Lord.

***

***

Examine your prayer life. 

What is your conversation with God like? When you pray, do you find yourself constantly asking for things? Or is your prayer centered in gratitude?

I remember somebody said to me recently they were a “crisis Catholic.” They only prayed when in need. 

***

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

Sometimes we interpret these words to mean, “If I pray hard enough, long enough, even loud enough, then God will give me exactly what I want, just like the persistent neighbor in today’s Gospel who banged on his friend’s door forcefully until it was opened.”

But that’s not the case.

Jesus is not telling us that we can manipulate the mind of God, or that we can twist his arm into doing whatever we want, like children who exhaust their parents with relentless nagging.

Rather, “ask, seek, knock… and the door will be opened to you.” 

Behind that door is not a thing, but a Person, the Holy Spirit. 

This is the sole guarantee of prayer.

***

Saint Paul says the fruit of the Holy Spirit, thus the fruit of prayer, includes, “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.”

***

Maybe you’ve been praying for a conflict at work to end. Even if it hasn’t, through prayer God will soften your heart, filling you with the peace, patience, and wisdom you need to navigate your way through it.

Maybe a particular temptation keeps tugging at your flesh. Even if God has not uprooted it, the Holy Spirit will give you the grace you need to persevere until freedom comes.

Perhaps your heart has become fearful or restless, prayer may not change the root cause of your stress, but it can replace your fear with peace.

***

Set aside a few quiet moments today. 

Ask, seek, and knock on heaven’s door. Invite the Spirit to come, then God’s peace will be with you.

***

***

Image credits: (1) Developing Your Prayer Life Bible App (2) micbic.org (3) Brushhillchurch.org

***

Gospel: Luke 1:26-38

The angel Gabriel was sent from God
to a town of Galilee called Nazareth,
to a virgin betrothed to a man named Joseph,
of the house of David,
and the virgin’s name was Mary.
And coming to her, he said,
“Hail, full of grace! The Lord is with you.”
But she was greatly troubled at what was said
and pondered what sort of greeting this might be.
Then the angel said to her,
“Do not be afraid, Mary,
for you have found favor with God.
Behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son,
and you shall name him Jesus.
He will be great and will be called Son of the Most High,
and the Lord God will give him the throne of David his father,
and he will rule over the house of Jacob forever,
and of his Kingdom there will be no end.”
But Mary said to the angel,
“How can this be,
since I have no relations with a man?”
And the angel said to her in reply,
“The Holy Spirit will come upon you,
and the power of the Most High will overshadow you.
Therefore the child to be born
will be called holy, the Son of God.
And behold, Elizabeth, your relative,
has also conceived a son in her old age,
and this is the sixth month for her who was called barren;
for nothing will be impossible for God.”
Mary said, “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord.
May it be done to me according to your word.”
Then the angel departed from her.

The Gospel of the Lord.

***

***

A few years ago, on the cover page of National Geographic there was a picture of the Blessed Virgin Mary with the title, “The Most Powerful Woman in the World.”

More than one billion Catholics refer to her as their spiritual mother, a command first given by Jesus to John at the Cross: “Behold, your mother.” 

***

Two factors that have inspired Marian devotion are her relatability and her many apparitions throughout the centuries. 

She is relatable because, like many Christians, Mary was poor. She spent time as a refugee. She accepted God’s plan for her life while she was still a teenager, modeling a path for other young people to follow. And from the annunciation to the cross, she walked the path of faith paved in surrender.

Mary is powerful because she is relatable; she is one of us.

Secondly, she pulls back the veil between heaven and earth. The first reported Marian apparition took place in the year 40 AD, shortly after her assumption. 

There have been an estimated 2,000 Marian apparitions since, almost 20 of which have been officially approved by the Vatican, reminding us of Mary’s intimate connection with humanity, even from the highest realms of heaven. 

***

Today we celebrate one of those apparitions, Our Lady of the Rosary. 

In the 13^th century, the Blessed Mother appeared to Saint Dominic and assured him that, among other things, if he spread devotion to the rosary, then his religious order would flourish. 

800 years later, there are more than 5,000 Dominican nuns and priests ministering around the world – with more than 70 Dominicans having been canonized as Saints! A reminder that Mary is true to her word.

***

May she, the most powerful woman in the world, intercede for us today as we pray: 

Hail Mary…

***

***

Image credits: (1) Beliefnet.com (2) National Geographic (3) Saintraphaelchurch.org