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From: Mark 3:22-30

Allegations of the Scribes

[22] And the scribes who came down from Jerusalem said, "He (Jesus) is
possessed by Beelzebul, and by the prince of demons He casts out the
demons." [23] And He called them to Him, and said to them in parables,
"How can Satan cast out Satan? [24] If a kingdom is divided against
itself, that kingdom cannot stand. [25] And if a house is divided
against itself, that house will not be able to stand. [26] And if
Satan has risen up against himself and is divided, he cannot stand, but
is coming to an end. [27] But no one can enter a strong man's house
and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man; then
indeed he may plunder his house."

Sins Against the Holy Spirit

[28] "Truly, I say to you, all sins will be forgiven the sons of men,
and whatever blasphemies they utter; [29] but whoever blasphemes
against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness, but is guilty of an
eternal sin"--[30] for they had said, "He has an unclean spirit."

Commentary:

22-23. Even Jesus' miracles were misunderstood by these scribes, who
accuse Him of being a tool of the prince of devils, Beelzebul. This
name may be connected with Beelzebub (which spelling is given in some
codexes), the name of a god of the Philistine city of Eqron (Accaron),
which means "god of the flies." But it is more likely that the prince
of devils is called Beelzebul, which means "god of excrement":
"excrement" is the word Jews used to describe pagan sacrifices.
Whether Beelzebub or Beelzebul, in the last analysis it refers to him
to whom these sacrifices were offered, the devil (1 Corinthians
10:20). He is the same mysterious but real person whom Jesus calls
Satan, which means "the enemy", whose dominion over the world Christ
has come to wrest from him (1 Corinthians 15:24-28; Colossians 1:13f)
in an unceasing struggle (Matthew 4:1-10; John 16:11). These names
show us that the devil really exists: he is a real person who has at
his beck and call others of his kind (Mark 5:9).

24-27. Our Lord invites the Pharisees, who are blind and obstinate, to
think along these lines: if someone expels the devil this means he is
stronger than the devil: once more we are exhorted to recognize in
Jesus the God of strength, the God who uses His power to free man from
enslavement to the devil. Satan's dominion has come to an end: the
prince of this world is about to be cast out. Jesus' victory over the
power of darkness, which is completed by His death and resurrection,
shows that the light has already entered the world, as our Lord Himself
told us: "Now is the judgment of this world, now shall the ruler of
this world be cast out; and I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will
draw all men to Myself" (John 12:31-32).

28-30. Jesus has just worked a miracle but the scribes refuse to
recognize it "for they had said `He has an unclean spirit'" (verse
30). They do not want to admit that God is the author of the miracle.
In this attitude lies the special gravity of blasphemy against the Holy
Spirit--attributing to the prince of evil, to Satan, the good works
performed by God Himself. Anyone acting in this way will become like
the sick person who has so lost confidence in the doctor that he
rejects him as if an enemy and regards as poison the medicine that can
save his life. That is why our Lord says that he who blasphemes
against the Holy Spirit will not forgiven: not because God cannot
forgive all sins, but because that person, in his blindness towards
God, rejects Jesus Christ, His teaching and His miracles, and despises
the graces of the Holy Spirit as if they were designed to trap him (cf.
"St. Pius V Catechism", II, 5, 19; St. Thomas Aquinas, "Summa
theologiae", II-II, q. 14, a. 3).

Source: "The Navarre Bible: Text and Commentaries". Biblical text
taken from the Revised Standard Version and New Vulgate. Commentaries
made by members of the Faculty of Theology of the University of
Navarre, Spain. Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock,
Co. Dublin, Ireland.

FEAST OF THE DAY

Saints Timothy and Titus were bishops of the first century and were
very influential in the formation of the early Church.

St. Timothy was born of a Greek father and a Jewish mother near
the middle of the first century. His mother was Jewish, but because
his father was not, Timothy was not accepted by the Jewish Faith.
During the third or fourth decade after Christ, Timothy was
introduced to Christianity by his grandmother, and began to develop
an appreciation and love for the Faith. Timothy made his final
conversion to Christianity with St. Paul in the year 47 and joined him
in his apostolic work.

Timothy accompanied Paul on his first trip to Corinth and on various
other journeys in their 15-year companionship. Timothy was with
Paul in Rome when he was arrested, and soon after was sent by
Paul to be a representative to the Church in Ephesus. After Timothy
and Paul set out on their different paths, Paul wrote him a letter,
which is included in the New Testament.

St. Titus was born a Greek and was also converted to Christianity by
the preaching of Paul. The two developed a deep friendship and
sought each other out for advice. Paul trusted Titus so much, that he
used him to deliver his letter to the Corinthians, and exhorts the
Corinthians to use Titus as a source for spiritual guidance and as an
example of holiness and zeal for the work of God. Titus served for a
time as a representative of the Church in Crete and received an
Epistle from Paul which is included in the New Testament.

QUOTE OF THE DAY

I remind you to stir into flame the gift of God that you have through
the imposition of my hands. For God did not give us a spirit of
cowardice but rather of power and love and self-control. So do not be
ashamed of your testimony to our Lord, nor of me, a prisoner for his
sake; but bear your share of the hardship for the gospel with the
strength that comes from God. -St. Paul in his second letter to
Timothy (2 Tim 1:6-8)

TODAY IN HISTORY

1564 Following the closing of the Council of Trent, Pius IV publishes
the bulletin "Benedictus Deus."
1948 Executive Order 9981, ending segregation in US Armed Forces
signed
1999 John Paul II begins a pastoral visit to St. Louis, MO

TODAY'S TIDBIT

Zeal is the expression of charity that permits one to serve God and
others fully with the objective of furthering the Mystical Body of
Christ.

INTENTION FOR THE DAY

Please pray for all who are discerning their vocation.