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On Thursday, March 11th, Bishop Barron gave a short reflection on the day’s Gospel, Luke 11:14-23, where Jesus casts out a demon and the people accuse him of doing so by the power of Beelzebub. This is what Bishop Barron writes:
The demonic power is always one of scattering. It breaks up communion. But Jesus, as always, is the voice of communion,of one bringing things back together.
Think back to Jesus’ feeding of the 5,000. Facing a large, hungry crowd, his disciples beg him to “dismiss the crowd so they can go to the villages and buy food for themselves.” But Jesus answers, “There is no need for them to go away; give them some food yourselves.”
Whatever drives the church apart is an echo of “dismiss the crowd” impulse, and a reminder of the demonic tendency to divide. In times of trial and threat, this is a very common instinct. We blame, attack, break up, and disperse. But Jesus is right: “there is no need for them to go away.”
Why do I bring up this message from Bishop Barron? Because we all have to ask ourselves, are we following the impulse of the devil or the impulse of Jesus Christ, in our relationships with one another, in our families, in our parish and in our country? This is a time when it is obvious there is great division. You and I are called to unite, not for selfish reasons, but to fulfill God’s will.
We will reflect in the next two weeks on Jesus’ going to the cross. We call it his Passion. The Passion of Jesus Christ is to forfeit all, including his very body for the sake of love. Nothing stands in his way of doing his father’s will which is to endure all of the suffering and pain to redeem our wretched souls. The love of Christ clings to nothing, NOTHING but the will of his Father.
I have said it on many occasions and the words are worth repeating because they are so fundamental to our well-being and future. What we cling to determines our future. If it is anything less than Jesus Christ, we are not his followers, we are fools.
Please take some time this week to seriously review your life and consider what it is you cling to. Some cling to their bank account and financial security. Others cling to their status in the community or their position in the family. Some cling to their material possessions, their property etc. Sometimes for our Lenten practice we focus so much on food and the giving up of certain culinary delights that we forget that what we really need to fast from is sin; and what we really need to cling to is Jesus Christ.
Imagine for a moment what it is you are clinging to, what you are grasping with your hands and your heart and then let go of it. As painful as it may be to loosen that tight grip around some material thing, in your imagination and in your heart, try to let it go and see yourself reaching up and clinging to Jesus. Some of the greatest saints praying before our Lord on the crucifix have been so inspired that they have actually received the stigmata. St. Francis of Assisi, St. Padre Pio, among a few who have done so. As we are approaching Passion Sunday, let us join Jesus in his passion to let go of…ALL THINGS and cling wholeheartedly and passionately to our Savior.
God love you,
