Mc 3,22-30 – Saints Timothy and Titus, Bishops – Memory
The lucid consideration that Jesus makes in today’s Gospel page reminds us of something so important that even the devil has it perfectly clear in his way of acting, namely that in order to be effective, we must be united. When divided, in reality, we count for nothing and are totally useless: «How can Satan drive out Satan? If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand; if a house is divided against itself, that house cannot stand. Likewise, if Satan rebels against himself and is divided, he cannot resist, but is about to end.”
This is why we should continually fight every form of division within our lives. Indeed, What effectiveness can a family have when it is divided internally? What credibility can a community or an ecclesial experience have if it is divided into factions, parties, currents like fans? How can a company achieve its goals if its people hate each other?
In short, I could continue like this endlessly to show how evil, in order to do evil, does not necessarily need to do sensational things, but it simply needs to achieve the simplest thing in this world, that is, pitting us against each other. It is no coincidence that he is called “the divider”, because his main job is precisely to divide. Then Jesus continues his story by saying that a strong person needs to be tied up to be robbed. The reference is very clear. Indeed, our strength lies in the ability of our will to function.
But if our will weakens, then evil can do whatever it wants with us. This is why we must always be very careful to work on our ability to say yes and no to ourselves. If our willpower is no longer a strength, that’s where evil can do what it wants with us. Finally, Jesus concludes by saying that everything will be forgiven except blasphemy against the Holy Spirit. But what do we mean when we talk about blasphemy against the Holy Spirit?
This type of blasphemy does not consist of a word spoken against the Spirit, but consists of something much more serious: not recognizing love and not letting yourself be saved by this love. Those who do not allow themselves to be reached by this love cannot be forgiven because in reality they do not accept the forgiveness given to them. God does not necessarily save us and when we reject his salvation, He too respects our freedom eternally.
