Evil is for real. The devil, in his devious ingeniousness, has somehow convinced many people today that he does not exist. In today’s world, greed and selfishness have been glorified and lord it over in places life Wall Street and in many corporate board rooms. They have been sanitized and called enlightened self-interest. As a result, pride is now something to be truly proud of and has been re-labeled as a healthy and positive self-image. One need not feel guilty anymore about expressing anger to the extreme; instead one is lauded for his assertiveness. Lust is out in full view of everyone – in songs, videos, movies, billboards and ads. No wonder perverts and molesters are having a field day. Violence and hatred have become acceptable currency for settling differences. To the extreme, the idea of preemptive strikes has become an acceptable national policy. The golden rule which based on love has been debased into this saying, “Do unto others before they do unto you.
In the face of all these, Christ continues to proclaim His contrarian Gospel of love and service. He preaches generosity instead of greed, humility instead of pride, peace and forgiveness instead of anger, self-denial and discipline instead of lust and self-indulgence, love and service instead of hatred and violence. And to combat the evil one, Christ admonished us to pray without ceasing, know that we are up against a formidable foe.
“Lord, lead us not into temptation but deliver us from the evil one.”
The scribes who had come from Jerusalem said of Jesus,
“He is possessed by Beelzebul,” and
“By the prince of demons he drives out demons.”
Summoning them, he began to speak to them in parables,
“How can Satan drive out Satan?
If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand.
And if a house is divided against itself, that house will not be able to stand.
And if Satan has risen up against himself and is divided, he cannot stand; that is the end of him.
Mark 3:22-26