In today's Gospel, Luke 11: 15-26, the crowd accuses Jesus of casting demons out by Beelzebul, by the devil himself. Jesus, unafraid of the crowd's badgering him, Jesus responds: "Every kingdom divided against itself will be laid waste and house will fall against house." If Satan, therefore, is casting out Satan, if evil spirits are casting out evil spirit, they Satan's kingdom of evil is going to collapse. No kingdom attacking its own power, its own inhabitants and the work they do, will stand. However, Jesus says, if "it is by the finger of God that I drive out demons, then the Kingdom of God has come upon you."
Each of us had good and evil spirits at work within us. We need to, with God's assistance, discern between good and evil within, between urges to do good and those prompting/tempting us to engage in evil actions or to entertain unkind, deceitful, corrupt, depraved intentions by which we harm others and ourselves. As we draw closer and closer to God, Satan becomes more cunning in his ways of tempting us to do what is wrong and hurtful. So, too, do we need to become more astute in recognizing Satan's depravity and deceitfulness. Remember, also, that God is always with us. The Spirit is always at work within us and within others providing us with the Wisdom to know good from evil and the ways these spirits function within our humanity.
May our eyes and hearts and ears, Lord, be evermore attentive to Your voice, the voice of Wisdom!
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