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<b style="margin:0px;outline:medium none currentcolor;padding:0px;font-family:georgia,"times new roman";font-weight:normal"><b style="margin:0px;outline:medium none currentcolor;padding:0px;font-size:18px;font-family:georgia,"times new roman";color:rgb(0,0,0);font-weight:normal;font-style:normal"><b style="margin:0px;outline:medium none currentcolor;padding:0px;font-size:18px;font-family:georgia,"times new roman";color:rgb(0,0,0);font-weight:normal;font-style:normal"><b style="margin:0px;outline:medium none currentcolor;padding:0px;font-size:18px;font-family:georgia,"times new roman";color:rgb(0,0,0);font-weight:normal;font-style:normal"><b style="margin:0px;outline:medium none currentcolor;padding:0px;font-size:18px;font-family:georgia,"times new roman";color:rgb(0,0,0);font-weight:normal;font-style:normal"><b style="margin:0px;outline:medium none currentcolor;padding:0px;font-weight:normal;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:georgia,"times new roman";font-size:18px;font-style:normal;text-align:start"><span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-size:18px;font-weight:400;line-height:inherit;text-decoration:inherit;font-family:georgia,"times new roman";font-style:normal"><b style="margin:0px;outline:medium none currentcolor;padding:0px;font-weight:normal"><span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-size:18px;font-weight:400;line-height:inherit;text-decoration:inherit;font-family:georgia,"times new roman";font-style:normal">Friends,<span style="background-color:rgb(208,224,227)"><b>
 in today’s Gospel we learn of a person possessed by a demon. Jesus 
meets the man and drives out the demon, but then is immediately accused 
of being in league with Satan. Some of the
witnesses said, “By the power of Beelzebul, the prince of demons, he 
drives out demons.”</b></span></span><span style="background-color:rgb(208,224,227)"><b><br><br><span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-size:18px;line-height:inherit;text-decoration:inherit;font-family:georgia,"times new roman";font-style:normal">Jesus’
 response is wonderful in its logic and laconicism: “Every kingdom 
divided against itself will be laid waste and house will fall against 
house. And if Satan is divided against himself, how will his kingdom 
stand?”</span></b></span><br><br><span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-size:18px;font-weight:400;line-height:inherit;text-decoration:inherit;font-family:georgia,"times new roman";font-style:normal"><span style="background-color:rgb(234,209,220)"><b>The demonic power is always one of scattering. It breaks up </b></span><span style="background-color:rgb(255,242,204)"><b>communion</b></span>. <span style="background-color:rgb(255,242,204)"><b>But Jesus, as always, is the voice of </b></span></span><span style="background-color:rgb(255,242,204)"><b><span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-size:18px;line-height:inherit;text-decoration:inherit;font-family:georgia,"times new roman";font-style:italic">communio</span><span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-size:18px;line-height:inherit;text-decoration:inherit;font-family:georgia,"times new roman";font-style:normal">, of one bringing things back together.</span></b></span><br><br><span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-size:18px;font-weight:400;line-height:inherit;text-decoration:inherit;font-family:georgia,"times new roman";font-style:normal">Think
 back to Jesus’ feeding of the five thousand. Facing a large, hungry 
crowd, his disciples beg him to “dismiss the crowds so that they can go 
to the villages and buy food for themselves.” But Jesus answers, “There 
is no need for them to go away; give them some food yourselves.” </span><br><br><span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-size:18px;font-weight:400;line-height:inherit;text-decoration:inherit;font-family:georgia,"times new roman";font-style:normal"><span style="background-color:rgb(234,209,220)"><b>Whatever
 drives <span style="background-color:rgb(255,242,204)">the Church</span> apart</b><b> is</b></span> an echo of this “dismiss the
crowds” impulse, and <span style="background-color:rgb(234,209,220)"><b>a reminder of the demonic tendency to divide. In 
times of trial and threat, this is a very common instinct. We blame, 
attack, break up, and disperse. </b></span><span style="background-color:rgb(255,242,204)"><b>But Jesus is right: “There is no need 
for them to go away.”</b></span></span></b></span></b></b></b></b></b></b>

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