Reading and meditation on the Word of God on Tuesday of the fourteenth week in ordinary time, July 7, 2026

Delivered by Thia Santos from the Church of Divine Mercy Shah Alam, in the Archdiocese of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Hosea 8: 4-7.11-13; Rs psalm 115: 3-4.5-6.7ab-8.9-10; Matthew 9: 32-38.JESUS ​​IS NOT AN EQUAL SPARRING TO THE EVIL SPIRIT Our meditation today has the theme: Jesus is Not anEqual Sparring to the Evil Spirit. There was a priest who was invited by afamily to pray and cast out some evil spirits that possessed one of itsmembers. The priest brought with him the necessary instruments such as holywater, crucifix, alb and stole. As soon as the possessed person saw the priestcoming from the front of the house, he showed his face like someone who wantedto fight an enemy. He looked very strong. The priest stood calm before him. He spoke with allhis courage and what came out of his mouth was the word of God. This was enoughto silence that possessed person from uttering all curses. He couldn't standanymore the powerful God who made him very weak and powerless. The possessedman dropped into the bed. Meanwhile the priest kept praying and repeatedlyuttering the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ was actually working in the person ofthat priest. Jesus is the Lord, so he is not bothered at all, scared or runaway because of the evil spirits. Jesus loves the sick, while evil spirits arenot loved. Instead they are rebuked, rejected and pressured to go out from thehuman person they take control. The evil spirits themselves are afraid to seeJesus from the first moment. They know that Jesus is much stronger and theywill never succeed to challenge Him. It is often shown in the scriptures thatthese evil spirits beg the Lord to have pity on them. It is very clear that every evil spirit is not anequal sparring to Jesus Christ. We as the followers of Christ have ouradvantage. We always go to Jesus to beg His power that He provides through Hisofficial representative, the ordained priest, in order to drive away evilspirits that take possession on our lives. However, by the dignity of thecommon priesthood because of the Baptism in Jesus Christ, every follower ofJesus should have the authority to reject and cast away temptations and evilpowers by using the name and power of the Lord Jesus Christ. The Lord Jesus gives us grace and strength to rejectthe evil spirits or any bad influence, through the power of sacraments of theChurch. Through the sacraments of Baptism, Reconciliation and Eucharist, wehave the power of the Almighty God to fight Satan and all his powers. There aremany instruments that we can use in fighting evil influences in this world, forexample through knowledge and wisdom, prayer and work, maturity as human personand self-sacrifice, discipline and faithfulness. The work of driving out evil spirits and theinfluences of the world is a very big thing to do. In their times, Jesus ofNazareth and the prophet Amos worked alone to fulfill this particular task.Today there are so many from our part who represent the Lord Jesus and theprophet Amos to do this duty. We must be able to carry out this important duty,and God himself guides us because after all God is the winner.Let'spray. In the name of the Father … O Lord Jesus Christ, fill us with Your powerso that we are able to resist all evil spirits that aim to destroy us. OurFather who art in heaven ... In the name of the Father ...