Thursday March 23
We have two stunning images in today’s readings: the voice of God and the finger of God. Listen to the voice and follow the finger; you will not lose your way. A voice does many things: it encourages, corrects, consoles, teaches, commands. The finger does many things as well: it can point to the way, warn us, touch, hold, and caress us. Yahweh laments that His people did not listen to His voice and lost their way. Jesus finds his people unable and unwilling to feel the finger of God active in their lives. Let us learn from their failures and actively seek the voice of God and hold on to His finger. That would help us be with Him and gather with Him, always.
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Beelzebub was an ancient Canaanite deity, which Israel turned into the 'prince of demons'. The accusation directed at Jesus working with this dark force does not only show the radical misunderstanding of his miracles and wonders but also the direct and conscious rejection of his being. Jesus again counters with a parable: where his opponents see an absurd civil war, Christ makes it clear that he is fighting against Satan and has come to defeat him. We are invited to collaborate with Jesus in the decisive battle against all evil.
