SAINTS PERPETUA AND FELICITY, MARTYRS (OPTIONAL MEMORIAL)

Whoever does not gather with me scatters. 

In today’s Gospel, Jesus drives out an evil spirit with great effect: a man previously unable to utter a word suddenly speaks freely. The crowds are amazed, but not everyone is happy. Some accuse Jesus of driving out the demon “by the power of Beelzebul, the prince of demons” (Luke 11:15). But Jesus proclaims that this exorcism demonstrates that “the Kingdom of God has come upon you” (11:20).

This miracle reveals Jesus’ mission for unity. When he expelled the demon, Jesus freed the man from his silent isolation and restored his ability to engage with his family and friends. As he said, he came to “gather” the people whom the devil “scatters” and seeks to torment (Luke 11:23). God’s kingdom brings power and healing. Even more, it gathers God’s people together with their Father in heaven.

This wasn’t the first time Jesus’ ministry resulted in such “gathering.” He healed a man with leprosy whose disease had ostracized him from his community (Luke 5:13). He delivered a young man from a demon and reunited him with his family (9:42). So while the kingdom of darkness brings division, pain, and heartbreak, the kingdom of God brings unity, healing, and restored relationships.

Jesus longs to unite his people today as well. The evil one seeks to divide families and churches, and he does it by wielding weapons like gossip, envy, half-truths, and lies. But the kingdom of God is at hand! Jesus is always working for unity. And whenever we choose to love, he works through us. Where there is distrust, we can sow honesty. Where there is bitterness, we can sow mercy. Where there is division, we can be a force of forgiveness and understanding.

Today you will have opportunities to build God’s kingdom of love. Will you chime in to a gossipy office conversation or steer it in a better direction? Will you react angrily when you don’t understand a decision, or will you assume the best of intentions? Will you avoid a difficult person, or will you reach out with kindness?

It’s not easy; unity requires commitment, humility, and even greater measures of God’s grace. But take heart: the kingdom of heaven has come upon you!

“Lord, help me to love.”

Jeremiah 7:23-28
Psalm 95:1-2, 6-9
Luke 11:14-23