Third Sunday of Lent
Ephesians 5. 1-9; Psalm 9. 20, 4; Luke 11, 14-28
In his divine goodness the Lord Jesus Christ casts out demons, manifesting
his almighty power and the coming of the kingdom among men. The people
gather around in awe, and yet they do not believe: "It is through Beelzebul
the prince of demons that he casts out demons." We encounter in Christ
our Redeemer, and we know that in him is revealed for our sakes the kingdom
of God in its fullness. And while we await a "new heavens and a new
earth" we yet undergo our own trials against evil as we struggle in Lent
to overcome sin, to fully embrace in our lives our own share in Christ's
victory which has overcame the Fall of Adam.
God is infinitely good and all his works are good. Yet no one can escape
the experience of suffering or the evils in nature which seem to be linked
to the limitations proper to creatures: and above all to the question of
moral evil. Where does evil come from? 'I sought whence evil comes and
there was no solution.' said St. Augustine, and his own painful quest would
only be resolved by his conversion to the living God. For 'the mystery
of lawlessness' is clarified only in the light of the 'mystery of our religion.'
The revelation of divine love in Christ manifested at the same time the
extent of evil and the superabundance of grace. We must therefore approach
the question of the origin of evil by fixing the eyes of our faith on him
who alone is its conqueror. (Catechism of the Catholic Church 385)
The only thing unchosen by God, uncreated by God and apart from him
in the world is evil. Evil is the burden for the cause of which we cannot
blame God, for the Almighty is and knows only good. But he can bring good
out of evil: a resurrection out of every cross, life from every death.
With Christ good will always triumph over evil if we will only let him
have the sovereignty and power over our hearts and minds. We must make
fidelity to God the priority over our need to blame him or someone else
when tragedy strikes or sadness plagues us. Let your questioning in the
midst of the mystery of evil be transformed by the mystery of God's superabundant
grace in a "conversion to the living God" and that will be all the answer
you will ever need.
I look forward to meeting you here again next week as, together, we
"meet Christ in the liturgy",
-Father Cusick
Used with the permission of Fr. Cusick from his website.
