"How can Satan drive out Satan? A kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. A house is divided against ítself, that house cannot stand." (Mk 3:23-25)
READING OF THE DAY
First reading from the Book of Genesis
Gn 3:9-15
After the man, Adam, had eaten of the tree,
the LORD God called to the man and asked him, "Where are you?"
He answered, "I heard you in the garden;
but I was afraid, because I was naked,
so I hid myself."
Then he asked, "Who told you that you were naked?
You have eaten, then,
from the tree of which I had forbidden you to eat!"
The man replied, "The woman whom you put here with me—
she gave me fruit from the tree, and so I ate it."
The LORD God then asked the woman,
"Why did you do such a thing?"
The woman answered, "The serpent tricked me into it, so I ate it."
Then the LORD God said to the serpent:
"Because you have done this, you shall be banned
from all the animals
and from all the wild creatures;
on your belly shall you crawl,
and dirt shall you eat
all the days of your life.
I will put enmity between you and the woman,
and between your offspring and hers;
he will strike at your head,
while you strike at his heel."
Second reading from the Second Letter of St. Paul to the Corinthians
2 Cor 4:13—5:1
Brothers and sisters:
Since we have the same spirit of faith,
according to what is written, I believed, therefore I spoke,
we too believe and therefore we speak,
knowing that the one who raised the Lord Jesus
will raise us also with Jesus
and place us with you in his presence.
Everything indeed is for you,
so that the grace bestowed in abundance on more and more people
may cause the thanksgiving to overflow for the glory of God.
Therefore, we are not discouraged;
rather, although our outer self is wasting away,
our inner self is being renewed day by day.
For this momentary light affliction
is producing for us an eternal weight of glory
beyond all comparison,
as we look not to what is seen but to what is unseen;
for what is seen is transitory, but what is unseen is eternal.
For we know that if our earthly dwelling, a tent,
should be destroyed,
we have a building from God,
a dwelling not made with hands, eternal in heaven.
GOSPEL OF THE DAY
From the Gospel according to Mark
Mk 3:20-35
Jesus came home with his disciples.
Again the crowd gathered,
making it impossible for them even to eat.
When his relatives heard of this they set out to seize him,
for they said, "He is out of his mind."
The scribes who had come from Jerusalem said,
"He is possessed by Beelzebul,"
and "By the prince of demons he drives out demons."
Summoning them, he began to speak to them in parables,
"How can Satan drive out Satan?
If a kingdom is divided against itself,
that kingdom cannot stand.
And if a house is divided against itself,
that house will not be able to stand.
And if Satan has risen up against himself
and is divided, he cannot stand;
that is the end of him.
But no one can enter a strong man's house to plunder his property
unless he first ties up the strong man.
Then he can plunder the house.
Amen, I say to you,
all sins and all blasphemies that people utter will be
forgiven them.
But whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit
will never have forgiveness,
but is guilty of an everlasting sin."
For they had said, "He has an unclean spirit."
His mother and his brothers arrived.
Standing outside they sent word to him and called him.
A crowd seated around him told him,
"Your mother and your brothers and your sisters
are outside asking for you."
But he said to them in reply,
"Who are my mother and my brothers?"
And looking around at those seated in the circle he said,
"Here are my mother and my brothers.
For whoever does the will of God
is my brother and sister and mother."
TENTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME - Mk 3:20-35
THE WORD OF GOD FOR EVERYONE
Dear People of God,
In God's Word today, God the Father calls humans to live holy by obeying God the Father's will. Do exactly what He teaches, then Satan will not have a chance to attack humans. Satan will not be able to overcome the power and love that God the Father gives to humans when humans follow His commands. On the contrary, when people follow Satan's temptation, they become criminals who disobey God, which is the sin that Adam and Eve had committed in the past.
Today, this disobedience still spreads throughout all of humanity, when people resist the will of God the Father, yielding to the temptations of Satan. Satan has the free will to roam this world to tempt, to destroy, to divide, to cause hatred, and to cause death. God the Father instructs all humanity: do not give in to Satan's temptations anymore! Be alert to carry out the command given by God the Father. Abandon Satan's temptations, resist them with absolute obedience to the will of God the Father; counter them by being faithful to the promises made to God the Father: to worship the one God the Father, to love God the Father above all things, and to love our fellow human beings as ourselves.
God the Father has created an opportunity for humans to repent and return to God the Father. Do not be arrogant, do not go against the commandments of love that God the Father calls everyone to live by. If anyone is living in the lustful passions of sin, the flesh, the world, and the devil, then listen to God the Father's teachings today. Return to God the Father to ask Him for grace, ask Him for more strength to recognize our mistakes, and give up our sins, desires, and passions for the world of the flesh. Ask Him to please love me, please forgive me, please erase any hatred, any division, and any jealousy so that I can live in love so that I know to live to give, know to forgive, know to give up the temptation of the flesh that Satan brings.
Listen to the Word of God who is your only Father, the Father of love, that is the Word that brings you eternal life. Have absolute faith in the love and mercy of God the Father. He never punishes His children who repent of their sins and return to God the Father! Because He is rich in mercy, always willing to love and create opportunities for people to repent of their sins, return to God the Father, to enjoy life and happiness in the Kingdom of Heaven.
The Word of God today calls people to be alert to Satan's temptations for they will find every way to cause division, to cause jealousy, envy, and superiority. Being alert means always knowing to listen and carry out the will of God the Father. Do not rebel against the holy commands He gives! Do not condemn, do not judge our brothers and sisters, because from the sin of judgment will come the sin of disobeying the will of God the Father, and then falling into Satan's traps and temptations against God's will; against the strength and power of the Holy Spirit, poured out on those who serve the work of God the Father.
God the Father calls humanity of this new era: to be vigilant to the temptations of Satan, as they will find every way to oppose God the Father's works, by bringing temptations to oppose those whom God the Father has chosen in His new work. This is the specified way that God the Father teaches people in today's world to be aware:
- Do not criticize or condemn the people God the Father has chosen for His work.
- Truly repent and return to God the Father, so that His love and mercy will erase all sins, so that the body and soul can be reconciled with God, to remain in His love.
- Avoid all the sins and stumbling blocks that the people of Jesus' time had criticized and condemned the only Son of God and offended the power of the Holy Spirit.
- God the Father calls humans in today's world: to know to fear and obey God the Father, who has complete authority over Satan, who has total authority over all creatures created by God the Father. Do not live in the sinful passions and desires that Satan brings! Give up the path of sin and come back home to make peace with God the Father by living a life of humility, self-abasement, love, by obeying God the Father's will, through sacrificing ourselves, knowing how to give away oneself to show love for God the Father through others.
Thanks be to God. Amen
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