Daily Reflection – 10/10/2025
Sacred Scripture
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 person is worse than the first.” (Luke 11:15-26)
Reflection
In our increasingly polarized world, it can feel as though the space for disagreement is shrinking. We often observe how quickly confrontation can sour into personal affront and aggression. In this climate of mutual zealotry, people tend to ignore the right others have to hold different, even opposing, positions. This can lead to a hardening of hearts and, at times, a violent rejection of the other.
Within such an environment, something more subtle and dangerous occurs: our spiritual perception begins to atrophy from lack of use. We see a stark example of this in the Gospel of Luke. When some witnesses see Jesus cast out a demon, they don’t see the goodness, the liberation, or the power of God at work. Instead, their spiritual blindness leads them to a grim conclusion: “By Beelzebul, the prince of demons, he casts out demons.” They fail to recognize the divine good standing right before them, attributing it instead to the source of all evil.
Today, more than ever, we must be alert to this same kind of spiritual blindness in our own lives. It is easy to get so caught up in the conflicts and anxieties of the day that we forget we are always in the hands of God. He is forever with us, inviting us to love Him and to help build His spiritual kingdom here on earth.
But how do we do that? Augustine of Hippo wrote that our hearts contain a God-shaped void that only God can truly fill. When we try to leave that inner space empty, or attempt to fill it with worldly ambitions, fleeting pleasures, or ideologies, we find ourselves in a worse state than before. We deny God’s desire to dwell within us. Jesus speaks directly to this reality in Luke’s Gospel. He describes a person from whom an unclean spirit has gone out. The spirit finds no rest and returns to its former home, which it finds “swept and put in order.” Seeing it empty, the spirit brings seven others more wicked than itself, and they make it their home. The final state of that person is worse than the first. An empty house is an invitation to a hostile takeover.
Jesus makes it abundantly clear that there is no neutral ground in the spiritual life. “Whoever is not with me is against me,” he states, “and whoever does not gather with me scatters.” We are either for the kingdom of God or against it. Ultimately, there are only two kingdoms in opposition to one another: the kingdom of God, full of light and life, and the kingdom of darkness, ruled by Satan. Jesus is the “stronger one” who comes to bind the “strong man” and plunder his house, setting his captives free.
If we desire to live in true freedom and peace, our inner house—the core of our being—must be occupied by Jesus. He must be enthroned there as Lord and Savior. When we invite Him in, He fills our hearts and minds with the power of his life-giving word and healing love. A house divided against itself cannot stand, but a house unified under the lordship of Christ becomes a fortress of grace.
The Lord assures us of his protection from spiritual harm. He gives us the strength we need to resist the devil and his lies. As the apostle James encourages us, “Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you” (James 4:7). When we make God our dwelling place, we can stand on the promise of the psalmist: “Because you have made the Lord your refuge, the Most High your habitation, no evil shall befall you, no scourge come near your tent. For he will give his angels charge of you to guard you in all your ways” (Psalm 91:9-11).
Let us not leave our hearts swept clean but empty. Let us fill them with Christ himself, who alone can satisfy our deepest longing and protect us from all that seeks to destroy us.
Prayer of The Day
“Lord Jesus, be the ruler of my heart and the master of my home. May there be nothing in my life that works to destroy the bond that we have.”
Daily Note
We must be careful not to allow deceitful/envious and other negative emotions to take root in our hearts for these are temptations that originate from the devil. We should instead fill our hearts and minds with thoughts that are Godly. Of course, we must choose to be with Jesus for this is always the correct choice. If we are not for Jesus, then we are against Jesus there’s no middle ground.
The prayer is perfect