By the Prince of Demons!

Monday, January 27, 2025

Heb 9:15, 24-28; Mk 3:22-30

Today’s Gospel highlights the accusation against Jesus by his enemies. 

Though we may think that their accusation is directed against Jesus, it is much more. 

Jesus is enraged when his haters attribute the works of the Spirit of God done by him to the power of the evil spirit. Their accusation is that ‘Jesus drives out demons by the prince of demons.’

What we must note is that the nature of their accusation is malicious because the Spirit of God is the source of good, as can be witnessed in the life of Jesus himself. But they fail to understand the truth. 

Thus, in the name of directing their anger against Jesus, what they find fault with is his Spirit-filled mission. 

Here, what they do not realize is that any accusation against Jesus is not only against himself but against the Trinity, which he represents. As such, their sin is not against an individual but against the Divine Community. 

In all these, Jesus is angry and disappointed because they dare to misinterpret what is good as something evil. What they ignore is that the Spirit of God, who animates the person and work of Jesus, is the source of all that is good and holy. 

At times, we behave like the enemies of Jesus by misinterpreting goodness as evil and by baptizing evil as a personification of the good. There can be no graver sin than that. 

Let us pray that we may recognize the presence of the Spirit of God in all that is good. 

Fr. Dhinakaran Savariyar