God relents every time His people approach Him!

October 10, 2025 Friday of the Twenty-seventh Week in Ordinary Time
Daily Readings: Joel 1:13-15; 2:1-2; Luke 11:15-26

Joel is one of the Hebrew minor prophets. He senses that the Day of the Lord is near, a time of destruction and darkness. He anticipates this day as one of gloom, whether due to a devastating locust plague or the attack of a powerful army. Therefore, he exhorts the priests and ministers at the altar to put on sackcloth and lament. It could be a day of great catastrophe. They are to sanctify a fast and call a solemn and sacred assembly, offering grain and drink offerings to avert destruction. All are to cry out to the Lord so that He may relent and bring life.

When someone accomplishes something great, reactions vary. Those who love that person heap praise on them. Those who dislike them criticize them unfairly. The neutral may doubt their abilities or attribute their success to external forces. This is what happened to Jesus when He healed a deaf and mute demoniac. Some saw the hand of God at work, while others accused Him of being allied with Beelzebul, the ruler of demons. Jesus, aware of their thoughts, uses the metaphor of a strong man guarding his house: if someone stronger comes, the first is defeated, and the stronger one plunders the house.

Jesus teaches a strong lesson for those who believe they are free from evil and that their hearts are transformed into a holy place. There is no guarantee until a person actively welcomes the Spirit of God to dwell within. Otherwise, the evil spirit that left may return, bringing seven more spirits with it, making the situation worse than before.

Call to Action: True experience of God is something we all long for. It happens when we are deeply rooted in Christ, and our lifestyle determines whether we receive that experience or not.