VOICE OF THE LOGOS: REFLECTION/HOMILY FOR FRIDAY OF THE TWENTY-SEVENTH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME, YEAR 1

When the devil looks organized and the Church looks weak

First Reading: Joel 1:13-15,2:1-2
Responsorial Psalm: Ps. 9A(9):2-3,6,16,8-9
Gospel: Luke 11:15-26
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If you look around today, it sometimes feels like evil runs things more efficiently than good. The corrupt get together and protect one another, while honest people are divided and often left to fight alone. The wrong crowd seems united; they move like a well-trained army, covering each other’s faults and defending their wickedness with boldness. But among believers, you find competition, gossip, jealousy, and lack of focus. The same people who should be praying together are busy dragging one another down. Sometimes, even in the Church, those who serve at the altar quarrel more than they pray. Families are divided, ministries are scattered, and communities that should reflect Christ’s light end up fighting over positions and recognition. When you look at how organised darkness appears, and how disorganised many who call themselves children of light seem, it makes one wonder: is the devil more serious about evil than Christians are about holiness?

This was exactly the atmosphere behind the first reading from the Prophet Joel (Joel 1:13–15; 2:1–2). The people of Judah had become spiritually lazy and morally careless. The Book of Joel was written around the 5th century before Christ, likely after the exile, during a time of severe locust invasion and drought that destroyed the land. The prophet Joel used that national tragedy as a spiritual mirror to show how sin had eaten deep into the people like locusts devouring crops. He saw how evil seemed to have its army (strong, united, and disciplined), while God’s own people had lost the fire of repentance and reverence. He cried out: “Blow the trumpet in Zion; sound the alarm on my holy mountain!” The “day of the Lord” was near, meaning a day when God would reveal His justice. Joel described the locusts like an army: “a great and mighty people, such as has never been before.” In Hebrew, the word translated as “army” is hayil (חַיִל), which means not only an army but also strength, force, and efficiency. Joel was not only talking about insects; he was describing how sin and evil work, as in, organised, purposeful, and relentless. Evil was united, but God’s people were sleeping. That is why Joel called everyone, especially the priests, to “gird themselves and lament” (Joel 1:13). The purpose of the book, therefore, was to awaken a divided and distracted people, reminding them that when evil seems united, it is not because God has weakened, but because His people have stopped standing together in righteousness.

The Responsorial Psalm (Psalm 9) answers that cry with confidence: “The Lord will judge the world with justice.” The psalmist, believed to be David, sings from the perspective of someone who has seen evil look powerful for a while. He saw nations rise and fall, enemies boast, and the righteous suffer. Yet he declares that God “sits enthroned forever” and “judges the world with fairness.” The root word used here for “judge” is shaphat (שָׁפַט), which doesn’t only mean to condemn but also to bring order and restore balance. So, while the world sees confusion, God is setting things back in place. Evil may look organised, but it is short-lived because it’s built on lies. God’s justice is slower but surer. This psalm gives us a quiet reminder that the Lord is never overwhelmed by the coordination of wickedness. He allows it to run its course until the right time when His judgement corrects everything. Just as the locust army in Joel was ultimately destroyed, so too every structure of evil will meet its limit before the justice of God.

Now, in the Gospel (Luke 11:15–26), we meet that same tension: evil looks organised while good seems misunderstood. Jesus had just cast out a demon, and the people, instead of praising God, accused Him of doing it by the power of Beelzebul. The name Beelzebul (from the Hebrew Ba‘al Zebûb, בַּעַל זְבוּב) literally means “lord of the flies,” and in ancient pagan belief, it referred to a false god worshipped in Ekron (2 Kings 1:2). Over time, it became a nickname for satan, the ruler of demons. In the Jewish imagination, flies symbolised decay and filth, meaning Beelzebul was the master of corruption. Jesus responds by exposing how foolish their accusation is: “Every kingdom divided against itself will be ruined.” He uses the image of “a strong man, fully armed, guarding his palace,” referring to the devil who seems in control. But Jesus calls Himself the “stronger one” who attacks and overpowers him. The Greek word used for “strong” is ischyros (ἰσχυρός), and for “stronger” it is ischyroteros (ἰσχυρότερος). These words describe not physical strength but authority and dominion. The devil may have power, but Jesus has authority. When Jesus speaks of casting out demons by the “finger of God,” He resounds Exodus 8:19, where Pharaoh’s magicians confessed that Moses’ miracles were by “the finger of God.” In Hebrew, that phrase ’etsba Elohim (אֶצְבַּע אֱלֹהִים) means divine intervention, the smallest act of God that outweighs all human and demonic strength.

But Jesus goes deeper. He says when an unclean spirit leaves a person and later finds the soul “swept and tidied” but empty, it returns with seven worse spirits. That expression “swept and tidied” in Greek is kekosmēmenon (κεκοσμημένον), from kosmeo, meaning to decorate or arrange beautifully. It means the person looks fine outwardly, like a decorated but empty house. That is what happens when the Church or the believer focuses on appearance instead of presence. Evil loves an empty heart. When the Church becomes more interested in titles, positions, and external order than in the indwelling of the Spirit, the devil looks more united than the body of Christ. The “finger of God” casts out evil, but if that house (our hearts, our parishes, our families) is not filled with the Spirit, evil will return stronger and more determined.

So, what is the lesson for us? When the devil looks organised, it is often because the people of God are disorganised in faith, divided in love, and distracted in mission. Evil thrives on our division. The day we start praying and living with one heart, one vision, and one voice, the devil loses coordination. Joel called for repentance, the Psalm called for confidence, and Jesus revealed that the victory is already assured if we remain filled with the Spirit. We must stop polishing empty houses and start filling them with prayer, mercy, and unity. The Church is not weak; she only looks weak when her members stop living like the body of the Stronger One. Evil may march in order for a while, but its end is chaos. God’s kingdom is quiet, patient, and powerful. It may not shout, but it will stand forever. And when the day of the Lord comes, every organised structure of evil will collapse before the gentle finger of God.

O that today you would listen to his VOICE, harden not your hearts! (Ps. 95:7)

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Shalom!
© Fr. Chinaka Justin Mbaeri, OSJ
Seminário Padre Pedro Magnone, São Paulo, Brazil
nozickcjoe@gmail.com / fadacjay@gmail.com

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Have you prayed your rosary today?