Daily Reflection October 10, 2025, Friday of the Twenty-seventh Week in Ordinary Time

The Stronger Man: Grace and the Battle for the Soul Joel 1:13-15; 2:1-2, Psalm: 9, Lk 11:15-26 My dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ, The Word of God today sounds a sobering alarm. It speaks not of a physical enemy at the gate, but of a spiritual battle within and around us. Through the prophet Joel’s call to repentance and Christ’s teaching on the source of true power, the Holy Spirit awakens us to a fundamental truth: in the spiritual life, there is no neutral ground. Our hearts are a dwelling place, and they will be occupied by one lord or another. The reading from Joel paints a picture of a national emergency. A locust plague of catastrophic proportions has devoured the land, symbolizing the devastating effects of sin and alienation from God. The prophet’s call is stark: “Declare a holy fast!” The “day of the Lord” is coming, “dark and gloomy.” This is not a distant threat but a present reality for a people who have turned away from their covenant. The alarm trumpet is blown to shake the people from their complacency, to call them back to the Lord with all their hearts. This Old Testament warning finds its full meaning in the Gospel. After Jesus casts out a demon, some in the crowd accuse Him of being in league with Beelzebul, the prince of demons. Jesus exposes the absurdity of this claim—a house divided cannot stand. But then He delivers a crucial lesson: “When an unclean spirit goes out of someone, it roams… seeking rest. Finding none, it says, ‘I shall return to my home from which I came.’” Finding the house “swept clean and put in order,” it brings seven more wicked spirits to dwell there. This parable is the key to our spiritual survival. It teaches us that it is not enough to be emptied of sin through God’s mercy simply. A vacuum in the soul will inevitably be filled. If we do not actively and deliberately fill that space with God, with His grace, with a life of prayer and charity, the enemy will return with a vengeance. Our state will become worse than before. This is where Jesus reveals the glorious hope: “When one stronger than he attacks and overcomes him, he takes away the armor on which he relied…” Christ is the Stronger Man. He has invaded the fortress of the evil one, bound him, and plundered his goods. His exorcisms are proof of His victory. Our safety, then, lies not in our own strength, but in our total, conscious, and active allegiance to Jesus. We must intentionally invite Him to occupy the house of our soul. St. Augustine’s famous confession echoes this truth: “You have made us for yourself, O Lord, and our heart is restless until it rests in you.” A heart not resting in God is a heart vulnerable to every passing spirit of malice, addiction, and despair. So, what is our response? We must first heed Joel’s call to repentance. We must blow the trumpet in our own hearts through a good and thorough examination of conscience, leading us to the Sacrament of Reconciliation. But we cannot stop at being “swept clean.” We must then invite the Stronger Man to take up residence through daily prayer, meditation on Scripture, and frequent reception of the Eucharist. As St. Josemaría Escrivá advised, “The battle of the soul is won with the weapons of prayer and penance.” The comfort today is that the battle is the Lord’s. We are not fighting a powerful enemy alone. We are called to stand with Christ, the Victorious King, and to ensure that our hearts are so filled with His light and love that there is no room left for the darkness. Let us not leave our souls empty, but open wide the doors to Christ, our strength and our salvation. Amen. www.rvammls.org