Daily Gospel Reflection
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March 16, 2023
Jesus was driving out a demon that was mute,
and when the demon had gone out,
the mute man spoke and the crowds were amazed.
Some of them 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 I read today’s gospel, I picture a fed-up Jesus. There’s nothing historically accurate or deeply reflective about that—it’s just what I see when I place myself in the scene. I, of course, am part of the crowd. I join the masses in being equally awestruck and suspicious.
I ask questions to test. I accuse because I don’t understand. I’m witnessing miraculous sights, and I’m scared because I don’t have a logical answer for them. Fear wins, and I think the worst because the opposite is too good to be true.
Sensing what’s on the crowd’s minds and my own clouded judgment, Jesus speaks clearly: “The kingdom of God has come upon you.” He says, “Whoever is not with me is against me.”
It feels like a mic-drop moment.
Jesus felt the division simmering among the people within their hearts. Those people standing before him were torn between fear and faith, doubt and belief, comfort and risk. And I understand why—to accept that Jesus was the Christ was to acknowledge that life could not go on the same way. What a frightening reality!
So we wear armor and tell ourselves we have everything we need to keep us happy and secure. And yet, the armor on which we rely is not protecting us. It’s separating us from a fuller life. It’s shielding us from a truth our souls long to hear. There is something better planned for us; there is someone greater waiting for us.
And so, as I stand in the crowd, I hear Jesus’ final statement as an invitation. He asks us, firmly and plainly, “Are you with me?”
Prayer
Lord Jesus, we know all too well what it is to be a house divided—we are often confronted with our own powerlessness and limitations. Please silence the selfish voices within us, or at least help us to not act on them. We so much want to be one with you. Amen.
Saint of the Day
The relics of St. Julian were a powerful aid to prayer in the ancient world. The great “golden-tongued” preacher, St. John Chrysostom, used St. Julian’s life and example as a model for his congregations. Julian’s relics were known to be helpful in exorcising evil spirits.
Julian was a senator from Cilicia, which is in modern-day Turkey. He was arrested in 305 during a persecution of Christians and was subjected to many kinds of torture. He was even paraded around the region for a year as an example to other Christians. He was finally killed by being sewn into a bag full of snakes and scorpions and dumped in the sea. Whether or not this actually happened or is an exaggeration is difficult to tell, but suffice it to say that he suffered and met a painful death. His body was somehow recovered and transferred to Antioch.
One thing is clear: the people of Antioch in the fourth century had a very real and vigorous devotion to St. Julian, and relied upon his intercession. Antioch depended upon water travel for commerce, so perhaps his intercession was sought for sailors and those braving difficult voyages. After all, no voyage could be as terrible as one with snakes and scorpions for sailing companions. Some of St. Julian's relics rest in the reliquary chapel of the Basilica of the Sacred Heart on Notre Dame's campus.
St. Julian of Antioch, you were killed by being sewn into a bag full of snakes and scorpions—pray for us!
Image Credit: Our featured image of St. Julian of Antioch is in the public domain. Last accessed February 6, 2025 on Wikimedia Commons.
