RBWords

     Jesus' adversaries tried to discredit him by claiming that his power to drive out evil spirits came from the "prince of devils", Beelzebub.  It's a kind of "It takes one to know one" accusation.  Jesus replies that their accusation makes no sense because it would mean devils driving out devils, which would be "counter productive!"  Rather, Jesus drives out demons by "the finger of God!"

     However, the Christian community needs to be alert once they have been converted from evil lest that evil take advantage of complacency and the old saying "The corruption of the best is the worst.." would become true.  

     Fascination with the exorcism (a rare event) should not blind us to the lesser "demons" that can take control of our lives.  St. Paul continually warns the communities that he wrote to that once they are baptized, they cannot continue to live as they once lived.  The same is true for us today, although baptism tends to be an event of the past for many.  We can turn the sacrament of reconciliation into a kind of "guilt relief" that has nothing to do with fundamental lifestyle.  The demons driven away can come back even more strongly.  We are called to live as citizens of the Kingdom of God, not Beelzebub.  God's mercy and power over demons should not be taken for granted.  AMEN