Posted on 10/10/2025 8:26:04 AM PDT by fidelis
“Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters.” Luke 11:23
These words are embedded within several powerful teachings of Jesus, but, in many ways, this single sentence can stand alone as an important Christian truth. Specifically, it tells us that we cannot be neutral in our position regarding Jesus and all that He has taught us. This is an important message in the world today.
Today, there seems to be a growing secular value that we might call “neutrality.” We are told by many in the world that we must accept any morality, any lifestyle, any choice that others make. And though it is true that we must always love and accept every person and treat them with the utmost dignity and respect, it is not true that we should be neutral to the choices and secular values that some choose to live and express. Sadly, when we do speak the full truth, especially the many moral truths our Lord has revealed, we are often labeled as judgmental. But this is not the truth.
This quote above from today’s Gospel makes it clear that we cannot remain indifferent to the teachings of our Lord and still remain in His good graces.
In fact, Jesus makes it clear that the opposite is true. He says that if we are not with Him, meaning, if we do not accept all that He has revealed, then we are, in fact, against Him. Being neutral on matters of faith and morality is not actually being neutral at all. It’s a choice that some make that has the clear effect of separating them from Jesus.
For example, regarding matters of faith, if someone were to say, “I do not believe in the Eucharist,” then they are, in fact, rejecting God. And though it is not our duty to be their judge, it is our duty to acknowledge that they have expressed a belief contrary to the truth. They are in error, and if they persist in this error, then they do separate themselves from God. That’s what Jesus is saying.
The same is true regarding morality. There are many examples in the moral life that are becoming more and more blatant in their opposition to our Lord’s teaching. Thus, we must remind ourselves that when we reject a moral teaching given to us by our Lord, we reject Jesus Himself.
Jesus goes even further when He says that “whoever does not gather with me scatters.” In other words, it’s not enough to simply personally believe all that Jesus taught, we must also teach it to others. If we do not and if we, instead, offer a false form of “acceptance” of another’s error, then we are actually working against Jesus. We all have a moral duty to actively promote the truths of the Gospel given to us by our Lord.
Reflect, today, upon how fully you are “with” our Lord and “gather” with Him. Do you fully accept all that He has taught and also seek to gather many others for the Kingdom of God? If you do not see yourself actively believing in and participating in the mission of our Lord, then heed these words of Jesus and allow them to gently but firmly challenge you, so that you will more fully work to build up God’s Kingdom in your own heart and in the world all around you.
My glorious King, You desire to build up Your Kingdom in my life and, through me, in the lives of others. Give me the grace and courage I need to fully accept all that You have taught me and to actively become an instrument of Your grace and truth in the world. May I be with You in all things, dear Lord, and gather many into Your loving arms of grace. Jesus, I trust in You.
Please keep in mind that this is a Catholic Caucus/Devotional thread for the purpose of prayerful reflection on the Sacred Scriptures and is closed to debate of any kind. Per FR policy on Religion Caucus threads, off-topic, argumentative, and abusive comments are not allowed and will be submitted to the Mods for deletion. Thanks, and God bless you.
The Month of September is Dedicated to the Holy Rosary
“ Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18)
Pope Leo XIV’s prayer intentions for the month of October, 2025:
For collaboration between different religious traditions
Let us pray that believers in different religious traditions might work together to defend and promote peace, justice, and human fraternity.
First Reading:
From: Joel 1:13-15; 2:1-2
Call to repentance and prayer
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[13] Gird on sackcloth and lament, O priests, wail, O ministers of the altar.
Go in, pass the night in sackcloth,
O ministers of my God!
Because cereal offerings and drink offering
are withheld from the house of your God.
[14] Sanctify a fast,
call a solemn assembly.
Gather the elders
and all the inhabitants of the land
to the house of the Lord your God;
and cry to the Lord.
[15] Alas for the day!
For the day of the Lord is near,
and as destruction from the Almighty it comes,
The day of the Lord is coming “after darkness”
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[1] Blow the trumpet in Zion;
sound the alarm on my holy mountain!
Let all the inhabitants of the land tremble,
for the day of the Lord is coming, it is near,
[2] a day of darkness and gloom,
a day of clouds and thick darkness!
Invasion by a “powerful people”
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Like blackness there is spread upon the mountains
a great and powerful people;
their like has never been from of old,
nor will be again after them
through the years of all generations.
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Commentary:
1:13-20. In the form of a poem, the prophet appeals for public conversion and penance to entreat God to take pity on the people and the land. “Go in, pass the night in sackcloth” (v. 13) – the same language as is used to describe the penance done by David when his son was fatally ill (cf. 2 Sam 12:16), and, in general, the sign of deep mourning (cf. 1 Kings 21:27, when King Ahab is warned of what will befall him). Judith 4:8ff mentions priests, people and even livestock wearing sackcloth. “Sanctify a fast” (v. 14), that is, declare a holy fast, a penitential rite to move God to mercy; other Old Testament references to this are to be found in 1 Kings 21:9 and Jonah 3:5-9.
The basic purpose of these acts of penance is given in v. 15 with a play on words: the “day of the Lord” is near; it comes as destruction, as a scourge, “shod”, from the Almighty, “Shaddai”. Verses 16-18 show that the people admit that their punishment is deserved; this prepares the way for the prophet’s prayer that follows. In it, Joel cries to the Lord on behalf of the community (v. 19) – and not only he: “even the flocks of sheep” sigh to God in a mute prayer.
It is significant that the priests are the first to be called to penance (v. 13). They should be the first to lament – before calling others (elders, all the inhabitants) to do so (v. 14). This is something embedded in the tradition of the Bible and of the Church – the idea that ministers should set a good example: “Those who have been called to wait on the table of the Lord should be praiseworthy, shining examples of righteousness, unmarked by any stain or taint of sinfulness. They should live upright lives, as salt of the earth, for their own sake and for the sake of others, giving good example by their behaviour and deeds, as the light of the world. they should be mindful of the warning made by the divine teacher Christ Jesus to his apostles and disciples, and all of their successors, priests and teachers: You are the salt of the earth; but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltness be restored? (Mt 5:13)” (St John Capistrano, Mirror of the Clergy, 1, in the Divine Office, Readings, 23 October).
2:1-11. From the literary point of view, and also by virtue of their theme, these verses form a well-defined poem: this is signaled by the use of what is called “inclusion”: cf. the reference to the day of the Lord in the first and last verses. The poem describes how God manifests his presence among his people, arriving with all the trappings of power. The passage is reminiscent of the account of the theophany on Mount Sinai (ex 19:16-25; Deut 4:9-14) and of prophetical texts, too (Zeph 1:15; Is 13:8; etc.). It is all designed to make people conscious of the Lord’s transcendence and power, in order to bring about a change of heart: only God can chastise them and by so doing rescue them from their anguish.
The first two verses are a call to attention. The trumpet or horn was blown mainly on two occasions – as an alarm in times of war, or to call an assembly; here, as in the parallel passage of Zephaniah 1:15-16, it is an alarm call. The “day of the Lord” (v. 1) arrives like a terrible army with all the panoply of war. St. John’s Gospel, in the prologue (Jn 1:5) and elsewhere (8:12; 13:30; 20:1; etc.), uses language similar to that found here (v. 2) depicting darkness and night as elements hostile to Christ.
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Gospel Reading:
From: Luke 11:14-26
The Kingdom of God and the Kingdom of Satan
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[14] Now Jesus was casting out a demon that was dumb; when the demon had gone out, the man spoke, and the people marvelled. [15] But some of them said, "He casts out demons by Beelzebul, the prince of demons"; [16] while others, to test Him, sought from Him a sign from Heaven. [17] But He, knowing their thoughts, said to them, "Every kingdom divided against itself is laid waste, and house falls upon house. [18] And if Satan also is divided against himself, how will his kingdom stand? For you say that I cast out demons by Beelzebul. [19] And if I cast out demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your sons cast them out? Therefore they shall be your judges. [20] But if it is by the finger of God that I cast out demons, then the Kingdom of God has come upon you. [21] When a strong man, fully armed, guards his own palace, his goods are in peace; [22] but when one stronger than he assails him and overcomes him, he takes away his armor in which he trusted, and divides his spoil. [23] He who is not with Me is against Me, and He who does not gather with Me scatters."
[24] "When an unclean spirit has gone out of a man, he passes through waterless places seeking rest; and finding none he says, `I will return to my house from which I came.' [25] And when he comes he finds it swept and put in order. [26] Then he goes and brings seven other spirits more evil than himself, and they enter and dwell there; and the last state of that man becomes worse than the first."
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Commentary:
14-23. Jesus' enemies remain obstinate despite the evidence of the miracle. Since they cannot deny that He has done something quite extraordinary, they attribute it to the power of the devil, rather than admit that Jesus is the Messiah. Our Lord answers them with a clinching argument: the fact that He expels demons is proof that He has brought the Kingdom of God. The Second Vatican Council reminds us of this truth: The Lord Jesus inaugurated His Church by preaching the Good News, that is, the coming of the Kingdom of God, promised over the ages in the Scriptures [...]. The miracles of Jesus also demonstrate that the Kingdom has already come on earth: "If it is by the finger of God that I cast out demons, then the Kingdom of God has come upon you (Luke 11:20); cf. Matthew 12:28). But principally the Kingdom is revealed in the person of Christ Himself, Son of God and Son of Man, who came `to serve and to give His life as a ransom for many' (Mark 10:45)" (Vatican II, "Lumen Gentium", 5).
The strong man well-armed is the devil, who has enslaved man; but Jesus Christ, one stronger than he, has come and conquered him and is despoiling him. St. Paul will say that Christ "disarmed the principalities and powers and made a public example of them, triumphing over them" (Colossians 2:15). After the victory of Christ the "stronger one", the words of verse 23 are addressed to mankind at large; even if people do not want to recognize it, Jesus Christ has conquered and from now on no one can adopt an attitude of neutrality towards Him: he who is not with Him is against Him.
18. Christ's argument is very clear. One of the worst evils that can overtake the Church is disunity among Christians, disunity among believers. We must make Jesus' prayer our own: "That they may be one; even as Thou, Father, art in Me, and I in Thee, that they may also be one in us, so that the world may believe that Thou hast sent Me" (John 17:21).
24-26. Our Lord shows us that the devil is relentless in his struggle against man; despite man rejecting him with the help of grace, he still lays his traps, still tries to overpower him. Knowing all this, St. Peter advises us to be sober and vigilant, because "your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking some one to devour. Resist him, firm in your faith" (1 Peter 5:8-9).
Jesus also forewarns us about the danger of being once more defeated by Satan--which would leave us worse off than were before. The Latin proverb puts it very well: "corruptio optimi, pessima" (the corruption of the best is the worst.) And St. Peter, in his inspired text, inveighs against corrupt Christians, whom he compares in a graphic and frightening way to "the dog turning back to his own vomit and the sow being washed and then wallowing in the mire" (cf. 2 Peter 2:22).
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