Tag: unclean spirit

“That house will not be able to stand.” | Monday of the Third Week in Ordinary Time

From the responsorial psalm: “All the ends of the earth have seen the salvation by our God. Sing joyfully to the LORD, all you lands; break into song; sing praise. Sing to the Lord a new song, for he has done marvelous deeds.”

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Mark (Mark 3:22-30)

“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.”

Jesus summons the scribes to address a lie they have been telling about him. They say, “He is possessed by Beelzebul,” and “By the prince of demons he drives out demons.” United in the Father and the Holy Spirit, Jesus does not participate in division but only eternal unity. A human kingdom has unity but also has factions so that within that unity division can exist. Divided from the unity of truth, a lie springs from the father of lies, the evil one, and is participation in everlasting sin. Jesus knows the intentions of the scribes and through divine wisdom exposes their lie. Jesus says all sins and blasphemies will be forgiven. “But,” he says, “whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will never have forgiveness, but is guilty of an everlasting sin.” Unity forged by the strongest human bonds will always fail; let the truth of God enter in to plunder and drive out division.

God, assist me by every good grace you can give me to recognize where division is so that you can bind it and make it useless. I don’t want to live out of unity with you, yet that is where I tend in my inclination toward sin. Help me today in these two ways: by removing me from division and by letting you in. In my house, Lord, come with power to tie up and disable all that blocks your entrance. I don’t want to participate in any lie that would keep you out, and I

depend on you for every good gift. Lord, you say, “Without me you can do nothing.” Be my strength, Lord. Jesus, I trust in you!

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

“They brought to him all who were ill.” | Wednesday of the First Week in Ordinary Time

From the responsorial psalm: “Give thanks to the LORD, invoke his name; make known among the nations his deeds. Sing to him, sing his praise, proclaim all his wondrous deeds. The Lord remembers his covenant for ever.”

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Mark (Mark 1:29-39)

When it was evening, after sunset, they brought to him all who were ill or possessed by demons. The whole town was gathered at the door. He cured many who were sick with various diseases, and he drove out many demons, not permitting them to speak because they knew him.

Mark describes a series of events in the early ministry of Jesus. After leaving the synagogue where he taught and exorcised a man with an unclean spirit, Jesus goes to the house of Simon and Andrew and heals Simon’s mother-in-law, who lays sick with a fever. That same evening, people come to Jesus, and he cures them of their illnesses and casts out demons of those who are possessed. The next morning before dawn he rises and goes off to pray, and Simon and the others find him and tell him that everyone is looking for him. “So he went into their synagogues,” Mark tells us, “preaching and driving out demons throughout the whole of Galilee.” In his compassion, Jesus acts as both healer and teacher in his mission to bring salvation and hope to humanity. He continues to do that today.

God, help me trust in your mercy and take comfort in Jesus’ saving mission as I consider the words of Saint Paul: “Because he himself was tested through what he suffered, he is able to help those who are being tested.” Through the mystery of suffering, let me learn my complete dependence on you for all that is good. Let my weaknesses be a means of giving glory to you, Lord, who through your Son destroyed death. “Look to the LORD in his strength,” the psalmist prays, “seek to serve him constantly.” Grasp me by the hand and help me always be mindful of doing your will.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

“Quiet! Come out of him!” | Tuesday of the First Week in Ordinary Time

From the responsorial psalm: “O LORD, our Lord, how glorious is your name over all the earth! What is man that you should be mindful of him, or the son of man that you should care for him? You have given your Son rule over the works of your hands.”

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Mark (Mark 1:21-28)

The people were astonished at his teaching, for he taught them as one having authority and not as the scribes. In their synagogue was a man with an unclean spirit; he cried out, “What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are–the Holy One of God!” Jesus rebuked him and said, “Quiet! Come out of him!” The unclean spirit convulsed him and with a loud cry came out of him.

Mark describes a key event in the early ministry of Jesus as he reveals his divine authority in the synagogue at Capernaum by teaching and by casting out an unclean spirit. Mark describes Jesus’ teaching and its effect four separate times in this short passage: “The people were astonished at his teaching”; “he entered the synagogue and taught:”; “he taught them as one having authority and not as the scribes”; and, “A new teaching with authority.” The interrelationship between teaching and his exorcism of the unclean spirit demonstrates that the power of Jesus is present in his words and actions. As the Son of God, the Word made flesh in the person of Christ, Jesus makes known the truth of the Father in life-giving words and redemptive actions.

God, you are present every moment of every day in the teachings of Jesus and in the sacraments as the Word made flesh. The astonishment of the people in the synagogue is my astonishment, at hand today. It is even a more present reality in the Church, the Body of Christ, and in the sacraments Jesus instituted during his earthly ministry. How can I not be astonished as I give thanks for the sacraments that are at their roots, as the Catechism teaches, from the actions and teachings of Jesus. The unclean spirit cries out, “I know who you are—the Holy One of God.” In naming you, Lord, the Evil One has no power but is instead driven out to “prowl about the world seeking the ruin of souls.” Let the Gospel acclamation teach me today: “Receive the word of God not as the word of men, but as it truly is, the word of God.”

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

“For saying this, you may go.” | Thursday of the Fifth Week in Ordinary Time

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Mark (Mk 7:24-30)

She replied and said to [Jesus], “Lord, even the dogs under the table eat the children’s scraps.” Then he said to her, “For saying this, you may go. The demon has gone out of your daughter.” When the woman went home, she found the child lying in bed and the demon gone.

Even as Jesus attempts to escape notice, he encounters a Syrophoenician woman who asks him to heal her daughter, who has an unclean spirit. Jesus at first responds to her in a way that reflects Jewish perspective in Jesus’ time toward Gentiles: “Let the children be fed first. For it is not right to take the food of the children and throw it to the dogs.” Willing to receive whatever Jesus could offer her, the woman’s response demonstrates her great humility, faith, and trust in him. As Jesus says these words, the woman’s daughter is immediately healed: “For saying this, you may go. The demon has gone out of your daughter.” The woman who asks for scraps from the table finds so much more—the grace and mercy of the Divine Physician.

God, the woman who came to Jesus clearly knew what she wanted. But in her humility, she was willing to settle for scraps—a crumb of mercy to fall from the table. I often begin my day not knowing what to ask of you and find it hard to bring to the surface what I really need. You know better what I need than I do. Seeing how Jesus responded to the woman for the sake of her daughter, maybe the question is, What do you want to give me today? Give me the grace today to put aside what I think I need and recognize the gifts you place in plain sight before me. Give us this day our daily bread.

From the Gospel acclamation: “Humbly welcome the word that has been planted in you and is able to save your souls.”

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

Wednesday of the Twenty-second Week in Ordinary Time

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Luke (Lk 4:38-44)

At daybreak, Jesus left and went to a deserted place. The crowds went looking for him, and when they came to him, they tried to prevent him from leaving them. But he said to them, “To the other towns also I must proclaim the good news of the Kingdom of God, because for this purpose I have been sent.” And he was preaching in the synagogues of Judea.

In a single day, Jesus performs a series of miracles that include healing Simon’s mother-in-law from a fever, curing people who had various diseases and illnesses, and casting out demons from many. At daybreak the next day, Jesus begins his journey to other towns, doing the will of his Father by proclaiming the Kingdom in his words and actions. In doing this, Jesus invites us to seek his healing power and at the same time participate in his mission of proclaiming the Kingdom of God.

Father in heaven, just as Jesus had your will as his purpose, I have the same. Just as he was sent by you to proclaim your kingdom, I have that same task. Help me recognize you today in the opportunities you place before me. Give me the grace to be a witness of hope to your love and mercy.

From the responsorial psalm: “The Lord sent me to bring glad tidings to the poor and to proclaim liberty to captives.” Lord, I trust in your mercy.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

Tuesday of the Twenty-second Week in Ordinary Time

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Luke (Lk 4:31-37)

Jesus went down to Capernaum, a town of Galilee. He taught them on the sabbath, and they were astonished at his teaching because he spoke with authority. In the synagogue there was a man with the spirit of an unclean demon, and he cried out in a loud voice, “What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are–the Holy One of God!” Jesus rebuked him and said, “Be quiet! Come out of him!” Then the demon threw the man down in front of them and came out of him without doing him any harm.

In the synagogue, a man possessed by a demon calls Jesus by his name and place and also recognizes his divinity, the “Holy One of God.” With a few words, Jesus exorcises the demon, and the man is left unharmed. “Be quiet!” The demon cannot withstand the authority of Jesus and the reality-forming words that he speaks. “Come out of him!” The people who witness this are amazed and say to one another, “What is there about his word?” The spirit knows that Jesus was from Nazareth and raised there. Like the people of Capernaum, the unclean spirit probably also knew that Jesus was the son of Mary and Joseph, a carpenter. And it beheld that at the same time Jesus’ divinity coexisted with his humanity. While the people were amazed, the unclean spirit is convicted in God’s presence and cannot remain standing within it.

Father in heaven, no evil can remain hidden in darkness in the presence of your light. In the relationship of the Trinity, Jesus your Son is “God from God, Light from Light . . . by the power of the Holy Spirit he was born of the Virgin Mary, and became man.” Whenever I am threatened by overpowering darkness, come to my aid to quiet evil in all its manifestations and banish it in the name of Jesus. Through the grace of the sacraments, help me remain in your light. As Saint Paul says in the first reading: “But you, brothers and sisters, are not in darkness, for that day to overtake you like a thief. For all of you are children of the light and children of the day.”

From the responsorial psalm: “The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom should I fear? The LORD is my life’s refuge; of whom should I be afraid?”

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eAaVQ82g2C4

Monday of the Seventh Week in Ordinary Time

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Mark

Jesus, on seeing a crowd rapidly gathering, rebuked the unclean spirit and said to it, “Mute and deaf spirit, I command you: come out of him and never enter him again!”

Today’s Gospel follows immediately after the Transfiguration and takes place as Jesus came down from the mountain with Peter, James, John. A man brings his possessed son to Jesus’ disciples, but they are unable to heal him. Jesus arrives and asks the father how long the boy has been possessed. The father responds that the possession has been ongoing since childhood and pleads with Jesus to help if he can. Jesus replies, “‘If you can!’ Everything is possible to one who has faith” to which the father responds with a request for help in his own faith, crying out, “I do believe, help my unbelief!” Jesus then commands the unclean spirit to leave the boy, and after throwing the boy into convulsions, he is healed. The disciples ask Jesus why they were unable to heal the boy, and he tells them that this kind of demon can only be driven out by prayer.

God, help me understand today’s Gospel in light of my own experiences. Although I have not been a witness to such a dramatic possession or healing as Mark describes, I can think of areas of my life that only prayer to the Father can heal. There are moments in life when, like the boy’s father, I cry out, “I do believe, help my unbelief.” God, when I feel hopeless and dead to your Spirit and goodness, help me with my unbelief and take me by the hand to raise me up.

Lord, thank you for the gift of your presence. Stay with me today and keep me from all that might separate me from you.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

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