Kingdom Divided
Friday of the Twenty-Seventh Week in Ordinary Time
Read this Gospel passage aloud to the family
Luke 11:15-26 - When Jesus had driven out a demon, some of the crowd 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 an unclean spirit goes out of someone, it roams through arid regions searching for rest but, finding none, it says, 'I shall return to my home from which I came.' But upon returning, it finds it swept clean and put in order. Then it goes and brings back seven other spirits more wicked than itself who move in and dwell there, and the last condition of that man is worse than the first."
(Parent) Reread this part a few times aloud
“Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters.”
(Parent) Read this meditation aloud to the family
People were awful to Jesus! They accused Jesus of being evil, even though He had done so much good! In a similar, but much smaller way, Christians today who stand up for the truth are accused of being closed-minded, intolerant, and even cruel. People who say these things about good Christians today are wrong, just like the accusers of Jesus.
Jesus says, “Whoever is not with me is against me…” We should be very confident every time we do the right thing, regardless of what others might think. We should feel very confident when we set certain standards in our marriage and family, regardless of what other marriages and families do. The way we spend our time, the things we choose for entertainment and media, the way we spend Sundays, might look different from those around us. But we should be confident because we stand with Christ.
As a family, pray a portion of the Rosary together (very short if children are young) reflecting on the Scripture passage above. (Optional: allow a brief time for discussion or questions from children concerning their thoughts and prayer.)
Reminder for Parents: Pier is just meant to be a jumping off point. The real goal is that you pray & eventually use the fruits of your personal prayer as the content of your family’s prayer. Duc in altum.
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