HE WHO IS NOT WITH ME IS AGAINST ME
(Friday, October 27)
“He who is not with Me is against Me, and he who does not gather with Me scatters. When an unclean spirit goes out of a man, he goes through dry places, seeking rest; and finding none, he says, ‘I will return to my house from which I came.’ And when he comes, he finds it swept and put in order. Then he goes and takes with him seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter and dwell there; and the last state of that man is worse than the first.” (Lk 11:23-26)
Let’s look at this somewhat puzzling passage as follows: If, by God’s grace, we have been liberated from a destructive affliction, like an obsession or addiction, and our mind and body are “swept and put in order,” it is not good to resume a life of self-reliance and negligence of God. Christ did not come, only to help us become “clean” of evil spirits. He came that we become filled with the presence of His Spirit, and that we share His grace, as vessels thereof, in communion with Him and others. We need actively to foster this communion, one day at a time, becoming awake to His presence from our waking moment every day, replacing fear with faith, resentments with forgiveness, complacency with gratitude, and walking forward in His light, lightness and humility.
Lord, let me not slip into complacency and ingratitude today, as if I were self-sufficient. Let my “house” not be vacant today, of Your presence. And let me “gather with You” my mind and my focus, that it be centered on You throughout my day. Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done in our lives, on earth as it is in heaven!
