10th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year B) – 10th June 2018

Theme: WITH FAITH IN JESUS CHRIST WE CAN CAST OUT THE DEVIL AND DESTROY SIN AND DEATH

Genesis 3:9-15
Psalm 129 (130). R/ v. 7
2 Corinthians 4:13-5:1
Mark 3:20-35

Dear friends,

Today is the 10^th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Liturgical Year B. The readings today tell us that with faith in Jesus Christ we can cast out devils and destroy sin and death!

The first reading tells us that Adam and Eve ate the forbidden fruit and committed the Original Sin of Pride. It was the serpent who tempted Eve to eat the forbidden fruit and Eve ate it and gave it to Adam and Adam ate it. Thus God told the serpent that He will put enmity between the woman and the serpent and her offspring will crush the head of the serpent. Christian tradition tells us that the serpent is the devil, the woman is Mary, and the offspring of the woman is Jesus Christ! Jesus Christ will crush the head of the Devil! This is the first “Gospel” of the whole Bible!

Indeed the Gospel today tells us that Jesus cast out devils! The scribes said that Jesus cast out devils through the prince of the devils (Beelzebul). But Jesus said he casts out devils through the power of God, through the power of the Holy Spirit. In today’s Gospel the devil is the strong man, but Jesus is the stronger man who tied up the devil the strong man and burgled his house! Jesus tied up the devil and cast him out!

The first paragraph of the second reading today tells us that St. Paul preached the Good News relying on faith, but his opponents, the false apostles relied on their own qualifications and achievements to preach the Good News.

Today we too like St. Paul rely on faith to preach the Good News and to cast out devils and to destroy sin and death! The devil is stronger than us, that is why like Adam and Eve we sin and experience death, but with faith in Jesus Christ we are stronger than the devil and we tie up the devil and cast him out and save the world!

That is why we responded three times in the responsorial psalm: “With the Lord there is mercy and fullness of redemption.”! With the Lord there is mercy and fullness of salvation! Salvation comes from faith in Jesus Christ! Faith in His love, faith in His mercy, faith in His grace! A Happy and Blessed Sunday to all of you! Amen!