United under the one banner of Christ

Sisters and brothers in Christ, in today's Gospel, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ speaks to us about how Satan uses deception to drive wedges among the faithful people of God, especially on the issue of the dignity and sanctity of human life from conception to natural death. Similar to how the serpent deceived Adam & Eve, the Evil One manipulates us into believing that it is okay to rebel against God. They attacked His goodness and, in turning away from everything that He gave them,  they chose a path of destruction rather than live in peace and harmony with Him.

On this day of Prayer for the Legal Protection of Unborn Children, let us always remember that God is the Creator and only He is the Author of Life, and that “life, especially human life, belongs only to God: for this reason whoever attacks human life, in some way attacks God himself” (EV 9). Because of our fallen human nature, of which the cause was Satan himself, our life can sometimes feel overwhelming with pain, suffering, and heartache because of the choices that others make or our own choices. In those moments, rather than blaspheme against the Holy Spirit and be "guilty of an everlasting sin", may we have the courage to turn our our Lord and our God with humble, contrite, and repentant hearts to seek His mercy and encounter His transforming love in our lives.

Satan is cunning in that he will not rise up against himself and be divided because he knows that he will not stand. Do not allow Satan to divide us against one another but, rather let us unite under the banner of our Lord Jesus Christ against the snares of the Devil. The Good News is, we are not along, the Holy Spirit on our side. The Holy Spirit is our "strong man" and He will not be tied up nor will He allow us to be tied up by Satan. So let us turn to him for strength and courage to follow and remain faithful to Christ always.

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Gospel 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."