RealTalk: When Goodness Gets Discredited

January 26, 2026 Monday of the Third Week in Ordinary Time
Memorial of Saints Timothy and Titus, Bishops
Daily Readings: 2 Timothy 1:1-8; Mark 3:22-30

Children of God: Beelzebul is a name that appears in ancient Jewish tradition long before the time of Jesus. The name originally comes from Baal-Zebub, a Philistine god, and later Jewish writers deliberately altered the name to make it sound insulting. Beelzebul was eventually understood not just as a false god, but as a chief demon. 

By the time of Jesus, the name had become a label for the ruler of evil spirits. Beelzebul was believed to command other demons, making him a convenient explanation for anything people could not understand or control. 

Therefore, accusing someone of acting by the power of Beelzebul was one of the strongest religious insults possible, because it meant calling good evil and labeling God’s work as demonic. 

This background helps us understand how serious and dangerous the accusation against Jesus really was. It was not a casual misunderstanding but a deliberate distortion of truth. It was an attempt to discredit goodness itself.

This accusation is thrown directly at Jesus by religious authorities. They claim that he casts out demons by the power of Beelzebul. 

What, then, are our inspirations for today as we reflect on accusation, truth, and discernment?

First, when truth threatens power, it is often attacked rather than accepted.

Look, the scribes say that Jesus is possessed by Beelzebul and that by the prince of demons he drives out demons. They cannot deny that something powerful is happening, but they refuse to accept its source. Instead of conversion, they choose accusation.

This shows us how resistance to God often works. When truth unsettles our control, comfort, or authority, we may label it dangerous rather than admit it is right. 

Second, refusing to recognize God’s work hardens the heart.

Jesus speaks about forgiveness and issues a serious warning about blasphemy against the Holy Spirit. Jesus is clear that all sins can be forgiven, but deliberate rejection of God’s saving work closes the door from the inside. The problem is not that God refuses mercy, but that the heart refuses truth. This is the danger Jesus names.

For us today, this calls for discernment. We must be careful not to dismiss goodness simply because it challenges us, comes from unexpected people, or disrupts our familiar ways of seeing things. Faith grows when we learn to recognize God at work beyond our comfort zones.

Children of God: How easy it is to distort truth when pride takes control! Today we are invited to examine how we respond to goodness that challenges us. Do we reflect, or do we react? Do we discern, or do we defend ourselves? 

Faith requires honesty with God and humility with others. May our hearts remain open to truth even when it disturbs us.