Friday 11th October
2019. Read Joel 1:13-15, 2:1-2, Psalm 9 and Luke 11:15-26.
“If they have called the master of
the house Beelzebul, how much more will they malign those of his household! So
have no fear of them; for nothing is covered up that will not be uncovered, and
nothing secret that will not become known.” (Matthew 10:25-26)
Someone once said: “There are only
two days the whole world would speak well of you, the day you were born and the
day you will die. In between, you just have to manage!” This saying is so true
that it even applies to Jesus Christ himself. It can be very painful and
somewhat distressing when people carry false rumours about you and even
interpret your good intention as an attempt to do harm. That Jesus who is God
could be falsely accused, it means that none of us is free from such.
Jesus’ response to this false
accusation brings out a point – AT THE END, ONLY TRUTH REMAINS. One day, all
the secrets will be exposed and what was hidden will be known to all.
However, beneath this false
accusation is a very disturbing reality - we have a tendency to fear demons
more than God. By accusing Jesus of operating by the power of demons, they were
indirectly saying only demons have the power to cast themselves out or that
Jesus is not as powerful as the demons.
Jesus responded by saying: “When a
strong man, fully armed, guards his castle, his property is safe. But when one
stronger than he attacks him and overpowers him, he takes away his armour in
which he trusted and divides his plunder.” (Luke 11:21-22). In other words,
demons might be powerful but God is more powerful, demons might be the strong
man fully armed but God is the one stronger who attacks and overpowers them.
To this day, we Africans fear demons
(evil spirits) more that we fear God. You have sleepless nights when a juju
priest threatens your life but you see nothing wrong with picking up and
answering phone calls right there in church during mass. There have been cases
of persons who steal money, bags and other items inside the church yet those
same persons will dare not cross a tree on which is hung a red and white cloth.
Someone once suggested that officeholders in Africa should no longer be made to
swear by the Bible when assuming their new offices but by the shrines of the deities
of native towns stating that by so doing, there would be no more looting of public
funds and all these anomalies we see so rampant among public officeholders.
It is sad to see Christians who are
not afraid of telling lies even while holding the Bible thus revealing that
even though they profess the faith and attend church activities, deep them within
them, they do not actually believe in God. We need to really examine ourselves
today. Do I still fear God? Or better put, do I believe that God is stronger
than witches and wizards, demons and principalities? Do I believe there is more
power in the Bible, in Holy Communion, in the Blessed Sacrament than a
combination of all the strongest of the shrines of the local gods today?
If we are honest, our answer to the above
would be strongly in the affirmative. No wonder Joel in our first reading today
tells us to return to God with sackcloth and lament. We have so failed God that
we no longer fear or respect Him. We only remember to use His name when we need
favours but we forget Him when it comes to obeying His commands. We show God so
much disrespect by our strong belief in the various “beelzebuls” of our time.
Let us pray: Lord Jesus, I repent of
my fears and falsehood. Amen.
Be Happy. Live Positive. Have Faith.
It is well with you. God bless you. (Friday of the 27th Week in Ordinary Time. Bible
Study: Joel 1:13-15, 2:1-2, Psalm 9 and Luke 11:15-26).
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