Reflection on the Gospel of the Monday Of The Third Week In Ordinary Time(Christian Unity Week) |
Mark 3:22-30 |
Beelzebul in the Old Testament is referred to as the prince of devils or chief of devils and here in this passage the scribes from Jerusalem call Jesus this name cause the Pharisees assume that Jesus’ power was so remarkable that it could not be explained on natural grounds alone. Jesus responds to them and is harsh on them explaining that his exorcisms are defeats for Satan, they cannot be performed by Satan and if that was the case Satan will not go against himself and why will he cast himself out of anyone. If he does so, there would be division within himself and it would fall.
Secondly, he says Satan will not enter into a strong man’s house, which meant that if this person is spiritually strong, no one can harm him, but only when he allows Satan to enter the house by his own deeds and wrongdoing, Satan can make way into a person.
Thirdly, Jesus warns the people of the blasphemies against the Holy Spirit. He says every other sin can be forgiven but anything spoken against the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven. Even today many of us though we start our prayer with the sign of the Cross, we hardly mean it and most of the time we do not give the same reverence to the Holy Spirit as we give to The Father and Jesus. Many do not even know that the Holy Spirit is God himself, the third person of the Trinity and that’s the reason we do not call on Him in times of our own struggle. As written in Hosea 4:6 “My people suffer for the lack of knowledge”.
Today, Satan has a stronghold on this world, he has divided each person with everyone in the name of either religion, race, riches, etc. There are divisions in families, between husband and wife, parents and children, amongst siblings, we see rift in offices, among colleagues, friends and so on. The cause would be anything, from property, ego, jealousy, misunderstanding, hatred. All these are the opposite of fruits of the Holy Spirit. But a person who is in the Lord is filled with Spirit of the Lord and walks in the ways of the Lord.
Let us look into ourselves and find out if any of our behavior, habits, any bad words which we have used that have caused rift among people or hurt anyone. Let us pray that we do not allow Beelzebul to use us and instead be filled with the Holy Spirit.
