Daily Gospel Reflection
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March 28, 2019
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.”
Who is the “strong man” Jesus speaks about in today’s Gospel? Early Church Fathers identify him as Satan. Jesus, of course, is the stronger man who “attacks and overcomes him.” But in a certain way, I, too, am the strong man. I fancy myself the master of my own life. I sit “fully armed,” guarding my “palace,” convinced that my “possessions are safe.” But soon the evil one, a “stronger man” than I, overcomes my flimsy armor and ransacks my home.
For Lent this year, I resolved to give certain times of the day to prayer. My hope was to share my heart a little bit more with Jesus. But within the first weeks, I began convincing myself that I’m just too busy, that I can handle the day without much prayer, that I can make my day a good one on my own. I act like the crowd who saw Jesus cast out a demon but still stubbornly refused to welcome his divine care. Predictably, without the defense of prayer, the “stronger man” invades my day through ordinary difficulties or temptations, and I am left frustrated or disappointed. Even the little strength I foolishly relied on is taken away, and I am robbed of joy and peace.
I need the even stronger man, Jesus, to despoil the evil one. Today’s reading from Luke’s Gospel omits a line the Evangelist Mark includes in his recounting of this episode. In Mark, Jesus tells the crowd, “no one can enter a strong man’s house to plunder his property unless he first ties up the strong man” (Mk. 3:27). My weakness in my Lenten resolution shows me just how much I need Jesus to bind the strong man, plunder his house, and “distribute the spoils.” That is, I desperately need Christ to rescue me from my own feeble stubbornness and sin.
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
St. Conon is a popular local saint in Sicily. He was born in the middle of the twelfth century and is credited with saving the town of Naso from famine.
St. Conon was a monk, most accounts say of the order of St. Basil of Caesarea. The most colorful tale of St. Conon tells the story of a miraculous vision he had while on a pilgrimage to the Holy Land. Conon traveled from Italy to Jerusalem. While in Jerusalem, Conon dreamed that a priest he knew back home in Sicily was being strangled by a snake. This disturbing nightmare apparently stuck with Conon.
Months later, upon his return home to Sicily, Conon told the priest about the dream. Feeling the pangs of a guilty conscience, the priest instantly confessed to Conon that he had been stealing funds from the Church and using the money for his own selfish desires.
Conon died on March 28, 1236, in Naso, Sicily, which has honored him as its patron since.
In 1571, the people of Naso were suffering from a terrible famine. A ship appeared in the nearby port, bringing a hold full of precious grain to the hungry villagers. The captain of the ship credited his rerouting to Naso to a miraculous vision of Conon, telling him to sail there. Thus, the people of Naso were saved.
St. Conon of Naso, pilgrim and miracle-worker—pray for us!
Image Credit: Our featured image of St. Conon of Naso is available for use under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license. Modified from the original. Last accessed February 6, 2025 on Wikimedia Commons.
