12 Oct
Fri 		27th Week in Ordinary Time
Joel 1:13-15, 2:1-2
Ps. 9:1-2, 5, 15, 7-8
Lk. 11:15-26
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The power of evil takes various horrible forms such as a movie like the Exorcist has dramatized. When Jesus cured the possessed man who could not speak, some of the crowd claimed He was in league with the prince of devils. How could the cohorts of Satan expel other demons without causing rivalry and splits in that evil kingdom? The power of Jesus over demons and evil is of God and signifies the coming of the kingdom of God. The Messiah has arrived to put the prince of demons on the defensive and on the way to defeat.

Today the power of evil is as strong as ever, trying to blind men and women to the supremacy of love needed in human lives. Only the powerful motive of selfless love can move people to help the victims of rape and abuse, illegal logging, land grabbing, warring factions that produce refugees and death. When those working for the good of their communities fight among themselves because of pride, jealousy or bruised feelings, the power of Satan can almost be felt sowing dissension among the workers on God's side. Possession and evil can return; the kingdom of God has not totally replaced the kingdom of evil. The divine power of Jesus to heal and save is always needed for the human family.


Lord, give us the wisdom to choose what is truly good for ourselves and for those we love, and deliver us from evil.

DAILY OFFERING
Eternal Father, I offer You everything I do this day; my thoughts, words, joys and sufferings. Grant that, vivified by the Holy Spirit and united to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary, my life this day may be of service to You and to others. I also pray that all those preparing for marriage discover in Sacrament the source of Christ's grace for living a fithful and fruitful love. Amen.

PRAYING WITH THE CHURCH
INTENTION
That we may recognise and revere the cultural and spiritual riches of the different ethnic groups and religious minorities present in every country.
Elaboration

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P R A Y I N G    W I T H    T H E    C H U R C H    

INTENTION : That we may recognise and revere the cultural and spiritual riches of the different ethnic groups and religious minorities present in every country.

This month we are invited to give thanks to God for the variety of gifts he has given to humankind. There is hardly a country in the world today which is not marked by the coming together of different cultural traditions. It ought to be recognised that religion has influenced cultures and is the soul of a particular culture. Vatican II also mentions the good that is to be found in the rites and customs of peoples, recognising this as having been sown by God's Word (LG 17). In fact, Christians belong to many different cultures which have been deeply marked by the Christian faith.

In order to appreciate these cultural and religious riches we are called to make an effort to understand and appreciate all that is good in another person and in that person's culture. We are invited to look upon our fellow human beings with the eyes of God who created man in his own image and likeness and who saw all that he had made and found it very good. We are therefore encouraged to consider prayerfully how God is at work in all peoples.

In this context our prayer will be that the ongoing dialogue between the Gospel message and cultures may produce fruits of true freedom, joy and peace for the whole of humanity.



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