Friday of the Twenty-Seventh Week in Ordinary Time
Jesus, Stronger Than Evil
Liturgical Cycle: C | Lectionary Cycle: I
Introduction
Judgment. It is an uneasy word. A discomforting possibility. Will it be a discomforting reality? The answer lies in us. The answer lies in our world. Our options are clear. We are facing the evil in ourselves and in the world. In a way we judge ourselves, we have to take a stand in the face of evil, in word and deed. And as believers, we must also be conscious of our role of intercession, mediation, and reconciliation.
We see the mystery of evil alive also in the gospel. There are people, also religious people, who see the good works Jesus does, the signs that God’s kingdom is coming and yet do not accept him, reject him or remain neutral. Who is this man? Do we accept him as our Savior? The more we share his life and become familiar with him, the more we will recognize that he is the Son of God, our friend, our Savior. Happy the eyes that see. And he overcomes evil, also in us.
Opening Prayer
Father of all people,
we are recalcitrant sons and daughters.
Are we your children or not?
God, give us love, give us peace,
that your judgment may not condemn us,
that you may not come to us
when we are not prepared.
God, when we have messed up everything,
keep sending us again and again your Son
to put things straight,
for we cannot do without him,
for he is the Lord and Savior of the world
now and for ever.
Responsorial Psalm
R. (9) The Lord will judge the world with justice.
I will give thanks to you, O LORD, with all my heart;
I will declare all your wondrous deeds.
I will be glad and exult in you;
I will sing praise to your name, Most High.
R. The Lord will judge the world with justice.
You rebuked the nations and destroyed the wicked;
their name you blotted out forever and ever.
The nations are sunk in the pit they have made;
in the snare they set, their foot is caught.
R. The Lord will judge the world with justice.
But the LORD sits enthroned forever;
he has set up his throne for judgment.
He judges the world with justice;
he governs the peoples with equity.
R. The Lord will judge the world with justice.
Alleluia Verse
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
The prince of this world will now be cast out,
and when I am lifted up from the earth
I will draw all to myself, says the Lord.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel
But some of them said:
“He drives out demons by the power of Beelzebul, the ruler of the demons.”
Others wanted to test him by asking for a sign from heaven.
But Jesus knew their thoughts and said to them, “Every nation divided by civil war is on the road to ruin and will fall.
If Satan is also divided, his empire is coming to an end. How can you say that I drive out demons by calling upon Beelzebub?
If I drive them out by Beelzebul, then by whom do your sons drive out demons? They will be your judges, then.
But if I drive out demons by the finger of God, does this not mean that the kingdom of God has come upon you?
As long as a man, strong and well-armed, guards his house, his possessions are safe.
But when a stronger man attacks and overpowers him, the challenger takes away all the weapons he relied on and confiscates his possessions.
Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me, scatters.
When the evil spirit leaves a person, it wanders through dry lands looking for a place to rest; and when it finds none, it says, ‘I will return to my house from which I came.’
When it arrives, it finds the house swept and everything in order.
Then it goes to fetch seven other spirits that are even worse than itself. They move in and settle there, so that the final state of that person is worse than the first.
Prayers of the Faithful
– That we may be convinced that our faith in Christ can help us overcome much evil in us and around us, we pray:
– That we may always recognize and appreciate the good that other people do, we pray:
– That by the strength of Christ we may not give evil the opportunity to ruin our lives, we pray:
Prayer over the Gifts
Lord, God and Father,
not all is well in the best of worlds.
Your people go hungry and are oppressed
because we fail to heed your word.
Give us the courage, Lord,
to speak up and stand up
for the rights of people
for the dignity of the least of all,
for the freedom and life you have promised us
in Jesus Christ our Lord.
Prayer after Communion
Lord our God,
we have listened to the words of Jesus
and we have eaten from his table.
He made himself close to us
and we believe in him as our Lord and Savior.
Let him also make us more aware
that with him we have to fight evil
and let him grow up in us.
Make us pray with him
that goodness may triumph in our world
and that the kingdom of justice and peace
may dawn on all of humankind.
We ask this through Christ our Lord.
Blessing
A few days ago, we heard Jesus say, “Blessed are the eyes that see what you see.” Yes, blessed are we that God has given us the grace of our faith, that we believe in Jesus, that we see also in all the good things that happen in our world through people who believe in him. May God bless you all, the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
REFLECTIONS
10 October 2025
In today’s Gospel, Jesus faces an accusation: his enemies claim that his power to cast out demons comes not from God, but from the prince of demons. Unable to oppose him by truth, they resort to slander. Yet Jesus responds with clarity: a kingdom divided against itself cannot stand. Evil does not destroy evil; rather, when demons are expelled, it is the sign that God’s reign is breaking in and—Satan—has been defeated by one stronger, Christ the Lord.
From this passage, we are taught several truths. First, slander is a weapon of the helpless. When we cannot defeat someone by honest means, we may be tempted to twist their actions or motives. How often do we assume the worst, repeat malicious words, or harm reputations with gossip? The Gospel calls us to examine ourselves honestly, for such sins corrupt and destroy both community and soul.
Second, the kingdom of God is revealed not in words alone, but in lives healed and made whole. Jesus came not only to save souls but to bring full restoration—body, mind, and spirit. Wherever love overcomes hatred, health replaces brokenness, and grace restores sinners, the kingdom is present.
Finally, Jesus warns that there is no neutrality in the spiritual life. A heart swept clean but left empty will not remain so for long. Evil returns unless goodness fills the space. To resist sin is not enough; we must fill our lives with prayer, charity, and virtue. As a garden must be planted with flowers to keep out weeds, so must our souls be filled with the Spirit to keep out darkness.
Let us, then, not stand aloof but choose Christ daily, allowing his Spirit to dwell richly within us, so that the kingdom of God may grow in us and through us.
Household tasks.
Jesus was seen as a disturbance by many in the religious establishment, an imperfection in the orderly and perfect structure of organized religion, something that could disrupt the established order and harmony. Instead of embracing the love of God, they chose to justify their actions; instead of opening their hearts to the unexpected, they preferred to harden them.
Jesus didn't retaliate with violence. Using the principles of the Kingdom, he simply exposed the true thoughts of their hearts, asking, "What is your genuine motivation behind your faith?" He revealed to them, their followers, and us the perils of self-righteousness.
The crucial question is maintaining our house, the temple of the Spirit, keeping it lively and clean, always prepared to welcome the Lord when he arrives at our door and calls. ...By the way, how do you maintain your house every day? How do you ensure it is prepared to welcome Jesus and those who come by?
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The finger of God at work
The astonishment in the Gospel doesn't always result in belief. The people were amazed when Jesus healed a man who couldn't speak due to an evil force. However, instead of recognising God's saving power at work, they accuse Jesus of using Beelzebul to perform the healing.
Beelzebul isn't a demon; the term is associated with a pagan god, also known as Baal, in the Old Testament. The worshipers of Baal considered it a benevolent deity associated with rain, healing, fertility, and protection from sea storms. It wasn't uncommon for even the Jewish people to turn to this deity, particularly when they felt their prayers were not answered and couldn't find healing from their own God. The religious leaders were aware of this practiceamong their own people. When they couldn't explain how Jesus was able to heal the sick, they conveniently attributed his powers to Beelzebul.
Luke portrays the man's inability to speak as the outcome of being possessed by evil. In today's society, when individuals choose not to speak up for truth, justice, and peace or are too afraid to do so, they are under the influence of evil forces. It is important for us to reflect on whether we are similarly possessed by evil forces to remain silent and need healing by the finger of God.
Despite Jesus's astonishing miracles that amazed the people, his adversaries refused to acknowledge that they were the work of God. Even though the Lord's opponents professed to have vision, they chose to behave as if they were blind. "There is no one blinder than those who choose not to see."
Let us pray for the gift of sight and speech to see the truth and say the right thing at the right time.